Analogy — From Latin, via Greek to English | etymologist.ai
analogy
/əˈnæl.ə.dʒi/·noun·c. 1540, in English logical and philosophical writing (OED first attestation c. 1541)·Established
Origin
From Greek analogia ('according to ratio'), built on ana- ('throughout') and logos ('proportion, word') from PIE *leg- ('to gather'), the word migrated from Euclid's geometry through Aristotle's biology and Aquinas's theology into modern cognitive science — always naming the detection of equivalent structure across different systems.
Definition
A correspondence or partial similarity between two otherwise dissimilar things, used to explain or clarify one by reference to the other.
The Full Story
Latin, via GreekMid-16th century (English adoption)well-attested
The word 'analogy' enters English in the mid-16th century, borrowed from Latin 'analogia', which itself was borrowed from Ancient Greek 'ἀναλογία' (analogia). The Greek term wasformed from 'ἀνά' (ana, 'up, back, throughout, according to') and 'λόγος' (logos, 'reason, ratio, proportion, word, speech'), giving the compound sense 'according to ratio' or 'proportionality'. The earliest Greek usage is mathematical: Euclid (fl. 300 BCE) uses analogia in the Elements to denote a proportion or equality of ratios (e.g., a:b = c:d). Aristotle (384–322 BCE) extended the term into logic and biology, using analogia to describe structural
Did you know?
Julius Caesar wrote a treatise called *De Analogia* — a work on Latin grammar arguing that speakers should follow consistent analogical rules rather than accept the irregularities of ordinary usage. He reportedlydictated it while crossingthe Alps on a military campaign. The most powerful man in the Roman world believed the correct
Cicero (106–43 BCE) and Varro (116–27 BCE) adopted 'analogia' to mean both grammatical regularity (consistency in inflection patterns) and proportional reasoning. The English word is first attested around 1540–1550 in logical and philosophical writing. The PIE root underlying logos is *leg- ('to collect, gather, speak'), from which derive also Greek legein ('to speak'), Latin legere ('to read, gather'), and English words including legend, lecture, lexicon, and logic. The ana- prefix derives from Greek ana, cognate with PIE *an- or related to *anti ('against, facing'). The root *leg- also yields: legal, diligent, elegant, collect, select, neglect, intelligence, and the -logy suffix ubiquitous in scientific terminology (biology, geology, etc.). Key roots: *leg- (Proto-Indo-European: "to collect, gather; to speak"), λόγος (logos) (Ancient Greek: "reason, ratio, proportion, word, discourse"), ἀνά (ana) (Ancient Greek: "up, back, throughout, according to").