AFFINITY

affinity  (<<schwa>>-fin-<<schwa>>-tee).1.  A  close  agreement.  2.  The  relation  that  one

spouse  has  to  the  blood  relatives  of  the  other  spouse; relationship  by  marriage.  3.  Any  familial

relation  resulting  from  a  marriage.  Cf.  CONSANGUINITY.  See  relative  by  affinity  under

RELATIVE. Cf. AFFINITAS AFFINITATIS ; CONSAN-GUINITY. [Cases: Marriage    10. C.J.S.

Marriage § 17.]

“There is no affinity between the blood relatives of one spouse and the blood relatives of the

other. A husband is related by affinity to his wife’s brother, but not to the wife of his wife’s brother.

There  is  no  affinity  between  the  husband’s  brother  and  the  wife’s  sister;  this  is  called  affinitas

affinitatis.” 2 Charles E. Torcia, Wharton’s Criminal Law § 242, at 573 (15th ed. 1994).

collateral affinity.The relationship of a spouse’s relatives to the other spouse’s relatives. • An

example is a wife’s brother and her husband’s sister. [Cases: Marriage    10. C.J.S. Marriage § 17.]

direct affinity.The relationship of a spouse to the other spouse’s blood relatives. • An example

is a wife and her husband’s brother.

quasi-affinity.Civil  law.  The  affinity  existing  between  two  persons,  one  of  whom  has  been

engaged to a relative of the other.

secondary  affinity.The  relationship  of  a  spouse  to  the  other  spouse’s  marital relatives. • An

example is a wife and her husband’s sister-in-law. [Blacks Law 8th]