Resemble

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈzɛmbəl/

Definitions

1. to have a similar appearance or qualities to something or someone else
2. to share likeness or characteristics with someone or something else
3. to exhibit similarities in appearance or traits compared to another person or object

Etymology: Resemble comes from a French verb that once meant something close to "to seem." Its Old French ancestor "sembler" (to seem, to appear) came from Latin "simulare" and "similis," so the core idea was always appearance rather than identity. Anglo-Norman speakers added the prefix "re-" to it, and the resulting "resembler" passed into Middle English as "resemblen." The prefix "re-" here does not carry its usual sense of "again." Instead, it works as an intensifier, so the verb reinforces the sense of seeming alike. The word therefore describes a judgment made by the eye or mind rather than a shared origin or essence: two things resemble each other when they appear similar, whatever their actual makeup.

Synonyms: mirror, duplicate, reflect

Antonyms: differ, contrast