noun · rare

elective affinity

elective affinity · elective affinities

A process by which two cultural forms having certain similarities or kinships enter…A process by which two cultural forms (e.g. religious, intellectual, political or economic) having certain similarities or kinships enter into a relationship of reciprocal attraction and influence, and mutual reinforcement.

Meaning

3 senses

A process by which two cultural forms (e.g. religious, intellectual, political or economic) having certain similarities or kinships enter into a relationship of reciprocal attraction and influence, and mutual reinforcement.
(dated)The feeling of being attracted to or sympathetic with someone or something.
(obsolete)The tendency of a substance to combine with some specific substances more readily than others.
Wahlverwandtschaft