affine
- adjective
- /əˈfaɪn/
- Specialized
:
afín
- Cousins-in-law are considered affine relatives, although they do not share a blood relationship.
Examples
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In many cultures, it is common for spouses to be welcomed into the family as affine relatives.
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At the wedding, the bride's affine family members shared heartfelt speeches about their connection.
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Although Zina was at times outspokenly critical of some of Emerson's views—as were her natural manners—her own progressive social and religious attitudes were affine to the Transcendentalist spirit.
Academic text (2017)
Synonyms
Related by marriage rather than by blood
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
A change that moves, turns, resizes, or flips a shape while keeping its straight lines
- Specialized
A type of geometry about shapes that stay the same when they are moved, stretched, or slanted
- Specialized
A houseplant that lives for many years with fragrant blue or lavender flowers
- Specialized
A perennial herb from California with small white flower clusters
Surface Forms
Etymology
Affine comes from the old Latin word affinis, which meant 'near' or 'related', often by marriage; think of someone who becomes 'near' to your family when they marry into it. That's why in anthropology an affine relative is a person related by marriage rather than by blood.