similar
/ˈsɪmələ/ · sim·i·lar
noun
- That which is similar to, or resembles, something else, as in quality, form, etc. The artist's new sculpture is a similar style to her previous work.
- A material that produces an effect that resembles the symptoms of a particular disease. The doctor ordered a similar substance to be used in the lab to test the patient's reaction.
adjective
- Having traits or characteristics in common; alike, comparable. The two brothers are similar in appearance, with the same bright blue eyes.
- Of geometrical figures including triangles, squares, ellipses, arcs and more complex figures, having the same shape but possibly different size, rotational orientation, and position; in particular, having corresponding angles equal and corresponding line segments proportional; such that one can be had from the other using a sequence of rotations, translations and scalings. The two similar triangles have the same angles, but different side lengths.
Did you know? The concept of similarity has been studied in mathematics and geometry for thousands of years, with ancient Greek mathematicians like Euclid exploring the properties of similar figures.