different between infinity vs affinity

English

Etymology

From Old French infinité, from Latin infinitas (“unlimitedness”), from negative prefix in- (“not”), + finis (“end”), + noun of state suffix -tas.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?f?n?ti/
• Rhymes: -?n?ti

Noun

infinity (countable and uncountable, plural infinities)

1. (uncountable) Endlessness, unlimitedness, absence of a beginning, end or limits to size.
2. (countable, mathematics) A number that has an infinite numerical value that cannot be counted.
3. (countable, topology, mathematical analysis) An idealised point which is said to be approached by sequences of values whose magnitudes increase without bound.
4. (uncountable) A number which is very large compared to some characteristic number. For example, in optics, an object which is much further away than the focal length of a lens is said to be "at infinity", as the distance of the image from the lens varies very little as the distance increases further.
5. (countable, uncountable) The symbol ?.

Usage notes

In mathematics there are several different infinities; see transfinite.

Synonyms

• (absence of a beginning, end or limits to size): See also Thesaurus:infinity

Antonyms

• finity

Related terms

• finish
• finite
• infinite
• infinitesimal
• infinitieth

Translations

See also

• eternal
• eternity
• transfinite

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??f?n?ti/

Etymology

From Old French affinité.

Noun

affinity (countable and uncountable, plural affinities)

1. A natural attraction or feeling of kinship to a person or thing.
2. A family relationship through marriage of a relative (e.g. sister-in-law), as opposed to consanguinity (e.g. sister).
3. A kinsman or kinswoman of a such relationship; one who is affinal.
4. The fact of and manner in which something is related to another.
   • 1997, Chris Horrocks, Introducing Foucault, page 67, The Renaissance Episteme (Totem Books, Icon Books; ?ISBN:

     A “signature” was placed on all things by God to indicate their affinities — but it was hidden, hence the search for arcane knowledge. Knowing was guessing and interpreting, not observing or demonstrating.

5. Any romantic relationship.
6. Any passionate love for something.
7. (taxonomy) resemblances between biological populations; resemblances that suggest that they are of a common origin, type or stock.
8. (geology) structural resemblances between minerals; resemblances that suggest that they are of a common origin or type.
9. (chemistry) An attractive force between atoms, or groups of atoms, that contributes towards their forming bonds
10. (medicine) The attraction between an antibody and an antigen
11. (computing) tendency to keep a task running on the same processor in a symmetric multiprocessing operating system to reduce the frequency of cache misses
12. (geometry) An automorphism of affine space.

Hyponyms

• microaffinity

Derived terms

Translations