Analogue


something having analogy to something else.
Biology. an organ or part analogous 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 substitute for it.
Historical Examples

It is in this latter sense, that it is the analogue of the Bone.
The Continental Monthly, Vol 6, No 5, November 1864 Various

noun

a physical object or quantity, such as a pointer on a dial or a voltage, used to measure or represent another quantity
(as modifier): analogue watch, analogue recording

something analogous to something else
(biology) an analogous part or organ
(chem)

an organic chemical compound related to another by substitution of hydrogen atoms with alkyl groups: toluene is an analogue of benzene
an organic compound that is similar in structure to another organic compound: thiols are sulphur analogues of alcohols

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

1826, “an analogous thing,” from French analogue, from Greek analogon (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.

analogue 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.

analog or analogue
(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 analog 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 analogs.

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 analog of penicillin, differing from the latter by the addition of an amino group. Compare homologue.

electronics
(US: “analog”) A description of a continuously variable signal or a circuit or device designed to handle such signals. The opposite is “discrete” or “digital”.
Analogue circuits are much harder to design and analyse 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 analogue circuit.
See also analogue computer.
(1995-11-14)

Read Also:

  • Analogue clock

    noun a clock or watch in which the hours, minutes, and sometimes seconds are indicated by hands on a dial Compare digital clock

  • Analogue computer

    analogue computer computer, hardware A machine or electronic circuit designed to work on numerical data represented by some physical quantity (e.g. rotation or displacement) or electrical quantity (e.g. voltage or charge) which varies continuously, in contrast to digital signals which are either 0 or 1. For example, the turning of a wheel or changes in […]

  • Analogue recording

    noun a sound recording process in which an audio input is converted into an analogous electrical waveform

  • Analogue-digital converter

    noun a device converting an analogue electrical signal into a digital representation so that it can be processed by a digital system ADC

  • Analogy model

    analogy model programming A method of estimating the cost of a proposed software project by extrapolating from the costs and schedules of similar completed projects. (1996-05-28)


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