counterparts

Counterpart refers to a person or thing that corresponds to or has the same function, position, or characteristics as another person or thing in a different place or context. The term implies parallelism rather than sameness; a counterpart may fulfill a similar role but is not identical.

In law and diplomacy, counterpart often appears in the phrase counterparts to describe separate documents signed by different parties that are equally authentic. For example, a treaty may be signed in several originals, each a counterpart of the others. The parties’ counterparts are legally binding as long as all are executed.

In linguistics and translation, a counterpart is the word, phrase, or expression in another language that conveys the same meaning as a given term in the source language. The search for counterparts is central to dictionaries, glossaries, and cross-lingual retrieval.

In science and technology, the term can denote a corresponding element in a different model, system, or framework. For instance, researchers may discuss the counterpart particle, component, or dataset that mirrors a given one under a different set of assumptions.

In everyday use, one may refer to a counterpart at another organization or at a counterpart company, meaning a person playing a similar role in a different setting, such as a counterpart at a partner firm or government agency.