analogous
adj.adj. similar in certain ways, even if the things are different in other ways. You use this word to show a clear connection between two unlike things.
adj. sharing structural or functional similarities despite fundamental differences in nature or origin. Often used with the preposition 'to'.
The heart is analogous to a pump.
The teacher used a water pipe system as an analogy to explain how electricity flows through wires.
While the wings of birds and insects are analogous in function, they evolved independently and differ significantly in their underlying anatomical structure.
From Latin analogus, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ́λογος (ănắlogos); Its English equivalent is analogue + -ous. The application to similar features of organisms is nearly as old as the general sense. Recognizably modern uses of the second sense, distinguishing analogous from homologous, appear in the mid-19th century.
Typically followed by the preposition 'to' when comparing two specific items.