Search

something having -n-logy to something else.
biology. an organ or part -n-logous to another.
chemistry. one of a group of chemical compounds similar in structure but different in respect to elemental composition.
a food made from vegetable matter, especially soybeans, that has been processed to taste and look like another food, as meat or dairy, and is used as a subst-tute for it.
historical examples

it is in this latter sense, that it is the -n-logue of the bone.
the continental monthly, vol 6, no 5, november 1864 various

noun

a physical object or quant-ty, such as a pointer on a dial or a voltage, used to measure or represent another quant-ty
(as modifier): -n-logue watch, -n-logue recording

something -n-logous to something else
(biology) an -n-logous part or organ
(chem)

an organic chemical compound related to another by subst-tution of hydrogen atoms with alkyl groups: toluene is an -n-logue of benzene
an organic compound that is similar in structure to another organic compound: thiols are sulphur -n-logues of alcohols

(informal) a person who is afraid of using new technological devices compare digital native, digital immigrant
n.

1826, “an -n-logous thing,” from french -n-logue, from greek -n-logon (itself used in english from c.1810), from ana “up to” (see ana-) + logos “account, ratio” (see lecture (n.)). computing sense is recorded from 1946.

-n-logue an·a·logue or an·a·log (ān’ə-lôg’)
n.

an organ or structure similar in function to one in another species but of dissimilar evolutionary origin.

a structural derivative of a parent chemical compound that often differs from it by a single element.

-n-log or -n-logue
(ān’ə-lôg’)
adjective measuring or representing data by means of one or more physical properties that can express any value along a continuous scale. for example, the position of the hands of a clock is an -n-log representation of time. compare digital.

noun

an organ or structure that is similar in function to one in another kind of organism but is of dissimilar evolutionary origin. the wings of birds and the wings of insects are -n-logs.

a chemical compound that has a similar structure and similar chemical properties to those of another compound, but differs from it by a single element or group. the antibiotic amoxicillin, for example, is an -n-log of penicillin, differing from the latter by the addition of an amino group. compare h-m-logue.

electronics
(us: “-n-log”) a description of a continuously variable signal or a circuit or device designed to handle such signals. the opposite is “discrete” or “digital”.
-n-logue circuits are much harder to design and -n-lyse than digital ones because the designer must take into account effects such as the gain, linearity and power handling of components, the resistance, capacitance and inductance of pcb tracks, wires and connectors, interference between signals, power supply stability and more. a digital circuit design, especially for high switching speeds, must also take these factors into account if it is to work reliably, but they are usually less critical because most digital components will function correctly within a range of parameters whereas such variations will corrupt the outputs of an -n-logue circuit.
see also -n-logue computer.
(1995-11-14)