Likheten

Likheten, the definite form likheten, is a Swedish noun that denotes the quality of being alike, i.e., similarity or equality. The term is versatile and appears in many contexts, from everyday language to formal disciplines. In ordinary use, it describes resemblance between objects, features, or ideas, as in "det finns likheter mellan språken" or "de två bilarna har stor likhet i utseende."

In mathematics and logic, likhet is the concept of equality or congruence. When two expressions have the same value, they are in likhet. The symbol "=" is called likhetstecken or the equals sign, indicating that the left and right sides are identical in value. More generally, likhet can refer to equivalence relations and the partition of a set into equivalence classes.

In social and legal contexts, likhet is used to express fairness and nondiscrimination, for example "likhet inför lagen," meaning that everyone is treated equally before the law. The term also appears in discussions of statistics, science, and comparative studies, where researchers note similarities or differences between groups, phenomena, or data sets.

Etymology: likheten stems from the adjective lik (similar) with the nominalizing suffix -het, a common Swedish formation. It coexists with related terms such as olikhet (difference) and forms the basis for many established phrases and concepts.

See also: likhet inför lagen; likhetstecken; jämförelse; ekvivalens.