analogue

Something similar to another thing, which can help you understand or compare it.

• This story has a modern analogue.
• Researchers used a simple analogue of the system.
• Can you find a historical analogue for these events?

How to use it: analogue of something (This device is a modern analogue of the old machine.); analogue for something (The model provides an analogue for the human brain.)

Similar words: equivalent, counterpart, parallel

Common phrases: modern analogue, analogue of something, analogue for something

A body part that does the same job as another species' body part but developed from a different origin.

• These organs are evolutionary analogues.
• An insect's wing is an analogue of a bird's wing.
• The structures are analogues because they evolved separately but serve the same purpose.

How to use it: analogue of something (An insect wing is a functional analogue of a bird wing.)

Common phrases: functional analogue, evolutionary analogue, analogue of something