ho·mol·o·gous

(hə-mŏl′ə-gəs, hō-)

adj.

1. Corresponding or similar in position, value, structure, or function.

2. Derived from the same species: a homologous graft.

3. Biology Similar in structure and evolutionary origin, though not necessarily in function, as the flippers of a seal and the hands of a human.

4. Immunology Relating to the correspondence between an antigen and the antibody produced in response to it.

5. Genetics

a. Relating to chromosomes that have the same morphology and linear sequence of gene loci.

b. Relating to genes that are derived from a common ancestor.

6. Chemistry Belonging to or being a series of organic compounds, each successive member of which differs from the preceding member by a constant increment, especially by an added CH₂ group.

[From Greek homologos, agreeing : homo-, homo- + logos, word, proportion; see leg- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

homologous

(həʊˈmɒləɡəs; hɒ-) ,

homological

homologic

adj

1. having a related or similar position, structure, etc

2. (Chemistry) chem (of a series of organic compounds) having similar characteristics and structure but differing by a number of CH2 groups

3. (Medicine) med

a. (of two or more tissues) identical in structure

b. (of a vaccine) prepared from the infecting microorganism

4. (Biology) biology (of organs and parts) having the same evolutionary origin but different functions: the wing of a bat and the paddle of a whale are homologous. Compare analogous²

5. (Mathematics) maths (of elements) playing a similar role in distinct figures or functions

ˌhomoˈlogically adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ho•mol•o•gous

(həˈmɒl ə gəs, hoʊ-)

adj.

1. having the same or a similar relation; corresponding, as in relative position or structure.

2. Biol. corresponding in structure and in evolutionary origin but not necessarily in function, as the wing of a bird and the foreleg of a horse (opposed to analogous).

3. having the same alleles or genes in the same order of arrangement.

4. of the same chemical type, but differing by a fixed increment of an atom or a constant group of atoms.

5. pertaining to an antigen and its specific antibody.

[1650–60; < Medieval Latin homologus < Greek homólogos agreeing; see homo-, -logous]

ho·mol·o·gous

(hə-mŏl′ə-gəs)

1. Similar in structure and evolutionary origin but having different functions, as a human's arm and a seal's flipper. Compare analogous.

2. Being a set of two pairs of chromosomes, one pair from the female parent and one from the male parent, having genes for the same trait in the same positions. Genes on homologous chromosomes may not have the same form, however. For example, one set of homologous chromosomes may contain a gene for brown eyes and the other for blue eyes.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	homologous - having the same evolutionary origin but not necessarily the same function; "the wing of a bat and the arm of a man are homologous" biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms analogous - corresponding in function but not in evolutionary origin; "the wings of a bee and those of a hummingbird are analogous" heterologic, heterological, heterologous - not corresponding in structure or evolutionary origin
	2.	homologous - corresponding or similar in position or structure or function or characteristics; especially derived from an organism of the same species; "a homologous tissue graft" autologous - derived from organisms of the selfsame individual; "autologous blood donation" heterologous - derived from organisms of a different but related species; "a heterologous graft"

homologous

adjective similar, like, corresponding, related, correspondent, parallel, comparable, analogous The homologous chromosomes remain attached to each other.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

homolog

homólogo

omologo

homologous

adj → homolog

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

homologous

[həʊˈmɒləgəs] adj → omologo/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

ho·mol·o·gous

a. homólogo-a, similar en estructura y origen pero no en funcionamiento.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The several parts of the body which are homologous, and which, at an early embryonic period, are alike, seem liable to vary in an allied manner: we see this in the right and left sides of the body varying in the same manner; in the front and hind legs, and even in the jaws and limbs, varying together, for the lower jaw is believed to be homologous with the limbs.

Homologous parts, as has been remarked by some authors, tend to cohere; this is often seen in monstrous plants; and nothing is more common than the union of homologous parts in normal structures, as the union of the petals of the corolla into a tube.

View in context

He now proposed that the old terminology, of theories of 'antithetic' versus 'homologous' alternation, should be dropped in favor of theories of 'interpolation' versus 'transformation'.

Homologous versus antithetic alternation of generations and the origin of sporophytes

Once in the nucleus, the complex activates a transcriptional program functionally homologous to the Retinoblastoma pathway in mammalian cells.

Genetic interactions between the G1 cyclin CLN3 and TH173 May link the endoplasmic reticulum to regulated cell division

Moreover, the transfusion of homologous blood carries the risk of major transfusion reactions and transmission of infective agents such as the hepatitis and HI viruses.

Cell-salvage techniques--a practical approach

IVF is of two kinds: heterologous, fusion of gametes of at least one donor other than the married spouses, and homologous, IVF between husband and wife.

The Ethical Imagination: Journeys of the Human Spirit

Ellisman and Palmer Taylor at the University of California, San Diego, and their colleagues have determined that homologous mutations in the genes coding the proteins butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) cause defects in protein expression similar to those seen with neuroligin 3, shedding further light on a potential molecular mechanism underlying autism.

Misfolded protein presents potential molecular explanation for autism spectrum disorders

To render the pictorial structure homologous with its subject's classificatory premise, the illusionism of the foreground gives way to a deeper perspectival system within which the contrived displays and members of the paying public are similarly pinioned.

Mark Dion: Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

Eyes from different phyla were thus considered analogous rather than homologous. (28)

Origin of genetic information and evolution of biological species

By artificially initiating a DNA repair process known as homologous recombination, physicians were able to replace a mutated version of the gene that encodes IL-2R.

Harnessing the strength of a natural process that repairs damage to the human genome, doctors at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, have helped establish a method of therapy that can correct mutations in the IL-2R gene that is associated with the immunodeficiency disease SCID

Individual and collective stages of physical, psychological and spiritual development will be compared and their homologous structures examined.

Comparing Ontogenetic and Phylogenetic Stages of Human Development

The author asserts that "idolatry" embodies a similar confusion between sign and referent and posits that the relationship between commodity fetishism and idolatry is homologous, "virtually axiomatic" (23).

David Hawkes. Idols of the Marketplace: Idolatry and Commodity Fetishism in English Literature, 1580-1680