Legal Definitions - affinitas

Affinitas refers to a relationship that arises purely through marriage, connecting an individual to their spouse's blood relatives. It describes the bond between a person and their in-laws, distinguishing it from relationships based on shared blood (consanguinity).

• Example 1: When Sarah marries David, David's sister, Emily, becomes Sarah's sister-in-law. This connection between Sarah and Emily is an example of affinitas because their relationship is established solely through Sarah's marriage to David, not through a direct bloodline between Sarah and Emily.

• Example 2: Michael is married to Lisa. Lisa's father, Mr. Henderson, is Michael's father-in-law. The relationship between Michael and Mr. Henderson is an affinitas. It exists because of Michael's marriage to Lisa, making Mr. Henderson part of Michael's family by marriage.

• Example 3: Consider a situation where John is married to Maria, and Maria's brother, Carlos, is married to Sofia. John and Sofia are connected through affinitas. Their relationship is not by blood, but rather through their respective marriages to siblings (Maria and Carlos), creating a familial tie within the broader family unit.