affinity
noun
[ əˈfɪnɪti ]
• a natural liking for and understanding of someone or something.
• "he had a special affinity with horses"
Similar:
empathy,
rapport,
sympathy,
accord,
harmony,
like-mindedness,
closeness to,
fellow feeling for,
understanding of,
liking for,
fondness for,
inclination towards,
partiality for,
penchant for,
predilection towards,
attraction towards,
chemistry,
relationship,
bond,
connection,
propinquity,
• the degree to which a substance tends to combine with another.
• "the bacterial proteins bind to these molecules with high affinity"
Origin:
Middle English (in the sense ‘relationship by marriage’): via Old French from Latin affinitas, from affinis ‘related’ (literally ‘bordering on’), from ad- ‘to’ + finis ‘border’.
