Meaning & use
homologous
Having a similar structure and origin, though not necessarily the same function, especially in biology.
See it in a sentence
A bat's wing and a human arm are homologous structures with the same basic bone layout.
Biologists compared homologous genes across species to trace their evolutionary history.
A note on using this word
Homologous (shared ancestry) is often confused with analogous (similar function, different origin), a key distinction in biology.
Words with a similar meaning
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