homologous
adj.adj. describing parts or structures that are similar because they come from the same ancestor. In math, it describes things that are related in a specific way.
adj. relating to structures or genes that are similar because of common ancestry. In mathematics, describes elements that are equivalent under a specific equivalence relation.
The wings of a bat and a bird are homologous.
Biologists study homologous structures to understand how different species evolved from a common ancestor.
While the specific functions of the limbs may differ, their homologous skeletal structures provide clear evidence of a shared evolutionary lineage among vertebrates.
From Late Latin homologus, from Ancient Greek ὁμόλογος (homólogos, “agreeing, of one mind”), from ὁμός (homós, “same”) + λόγος (lógos, “reason, reckoning”). Compare homo- (“same”) and -ous (adjectival suffix). From 1655, in the mathematical sense. See also homolog, homologue.