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Linkage vs. Link — What's the Difference?

By Urooj Arif & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 19, 2024
Linkage refers to the system of connecting parts or the relationship between concepts, whereas a link is an individual element of a chain or a single connection point in a network.
Linkage vs. Link — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Linkage and Link

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Key Differences

Linkage involves the creation or presence of connections between multiple components, often implying a mechanical or conceptual relationship. Whereas, a link typically refers to a single component within a system, such as a chain link or a hyperlink in a document.
In biology, linkage describes the proximity of genes on a chromosome, which influences how traits are inherited. On the other hand, a link in a biological context might simply refer to a connection between two entities, like a food chain link.
In mechanical engineering, linkage is used to denote a series of parts connected to manage forces and movement. Whereas, a link could be a single part of such a series, crucial for the function but only a piece of the larger assembly.
In computing, linkage determines how software components share data and functionality. On the other hand, a link is often used specifically to refer to shortcuts or references within or between documents.
The concept of linkage in political science refers to the relationships between different issues or policies and their impact on electoral outcomes. In contrast, a link in this context might refer to a specific evidence or citation that connects an argument or policy discussion.
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Comparison Chart

Definition

Connection system between parts or concepts
A single connection element or point

Usage in Biology

Describes gene proximity and trait inheritance
Connection in a food chain or ecological system

Usage in Mechanics

Series of connected parts for force management
A single part of a mechanical system

Usage in Computing

Data and functionality sharing between components
A shortcut or reference within or between documents

Usage in Politics

Relationships between issues and electoral impact
Specific evidence or citation linking an argument

Compare with Definitions

Linkage

A conceptual connection between ideas or issues.
There's a strong linkage between education levels and voting patterns.

Link

A single ring or part of a chain.
The necklace broke at the weakest link.

Linkage

A connection strategy in political campaigns.
The candidate's linkage of local issues with national concerns resonated with voters.

Link

A shortcut to a website or document.
Click on the link to join the webinar.

Linkage

The relationship between genes on a chromosome.
Geneticists study the linkage of genes to understand inherited diseases.

Link

A segment or part of a larger issue.
This topic is just one link in a broader discussion about health.

Linkage

A system of connected mechanical parts.
The robot's arm movements are controlled by a complex linkage of gears and rods.

Link

An individual connecting element in a system.
This cable link is crucial for the entire network's reliability.

Linkage

The method of combining software modules.
Program efficiency is often improved by optimizing linkage between modules.

Link

A connection or reference point in a network.
You can access the document via the link I sent you.

Linkage

The act or process of linking.

Link

A winding of a river; also, the ground along such a winding; a meander; - usually in pl.
The windings or "links" of the Forth above and below Stirling are extremely tortuous.

Linkage

The condition of being linked.

Link

One of the rings or loops forming a chain.

Linkage

A connection or relation; an association.

Link

A unit in a connected series of units
Links of sausage.
One link in a molecular chain.

Linkage

A negotiating policy of making agreement on one issue dependent on progress toward another objective.

Link

A unit in a transportation or communications system.

Linkage

A system of interconnected machine elements, such as rods, springs, and pivots, used to transmit power or motion.

Link

A connecting element; a tie or bond
Grandparents, our link with the past.

Linkage

(Electricity) A measure of the induced voltage in a circuit caused by a magnetic flux and equal to the flux times the number of turns in the coil that surrounds it.

Link

An association; a relationship
The Alumnae Association is my link to the school's present administration.

Linkage

(Genetics) An association between two or more genes such that the traits they control tend to be inherited together.

Link

A causal, parallel, or reciprocal relationship; a correlation
Researchers have detected a link between smoking and heart disease.

Linkage

A mechanical device that connects things.
A linkage in my car's transmission is broken so I can't shift out of first gear.

Link

A cufflink.

Linkage

A connection or relation between things or ideas.

Link

A unit of length used in surveying, equal to 0.01 chain, 7.92 inches, or about 20.12 centimeters.

Linkage

(compilation) The act or result of linking: the combination of multiple object files into one executable, library, or object file.

Link

A rod or lever transmitting motion in a machine.

Linkage

(genetics) The property of genes of being inherited together.

Link

(Computers)A graphical item or segment of text in a webpage or other electronic document that, when clicked, causes another webpage or section of the same webpage to be displayed
That newspaper's homepage includes links to numerous government resources. Also called hotlink, hyperlink.

Linkage

(linguistics) A set of definitely related languages for which no proto-language can be derived, typically a group of languages within a family that have formed a sprachbund.

Link

A torch formerly used for lighting one's way in the streets.

Linkage

A United States foreign policy, during the 1970s détente in the Cold War, of persuading the Soviet Union to co-operate in restraining revolutions in the Third World in return for nuclear and economic concessions.

Link

To put together physically, as with links
Linked the rings to form a chain.

Linkage

The act of linking; the state of being linked; also, a system of links.

Link

To connect, relate, or associate
Linked the suspect to the crime.

Linkage

Manner of linking or of being linked; - said of the union of atoms or radicals in the molecule.

Link

To make or have a link to (another webpage or electronic document)
The blog links important news stories from across the web.

Linkage

A system of straight lines or bars, fastened together by joints, and having certain of their points fixed in a plane. It is used to describe straight lines and curves in the plane.

Link

To make a link in (a webpage or electronic document)
The teacher linked the class website to an online map.

Linkage

Any object, factor, or relationship that creates a bond or association between two other objects.

Link

To be or become joined together physically
The molecules linked to form a polymer.

Linkage

The proximity of two or more genes on the genome of an organism that causes those genes to be inherited, transferred, or moved together with a frequency greater than for genes not associated. The linkage is a continuous variable, and is inversely related to the distance between genes on the genome.

Link

To be or become connected, related, or associated
Their business has linked up with ours.

Linkage

An associative relation

Link

To make or have a link to a webpage or electronic document
The shocking news story was linked to by many blogs. The article linked to photos of the damage.

Linkage

(genetics) traits that tend to be inherited together as a consequence of an association between their genes; all of the genes of a given chromosome are linked (where one goes they all go)

Link

To follow a link in a webpage or electronic document
With a click of the mouse, I linked to the museum's website.

Linkage

A mechanical system of rods or springs or pivots that transmits power or motion

Link

A connection between places, people, events, things, or ideas.
The mayor’s assistant serves as the link to the media.

Linkage

The act of linking things together

Link

One element of a chain or other connected series.
The third link of the silver chain needs to be resoldered.
The weakest link.

Link

Abbreviation of hyperlink
The link on the page points to the sports scores.

Link

(computing) The connection between buses or systems.
A by-N-link is composed of N lanes.

Link

(mathematics) A space comprising one or more disjoint knots.

Link

(figurative) an individual person or element in a system

Link

Anything doubled and closed like a link of a chain.

Link

A sausage that is not a patty.

Link

(kinematics) Any one of the several elementary pieces of a mechanism, such as the fixed frame, or a rod, wheel, mass of confined liquid, etc., by which relative motion of other parts is produced and constrained.

Link

(engineering) Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (in steam engines) the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion.

Link

(surveying) The length of one joint of Gunter's chain, being the hundredth part of it, or 7.92 inches, the chain being 66 feet in length.

Link

(chemistry) A bond of affinity, or a unit of valence between atoms; applied to a unit of chemical force or attraction.

Link

(in the plural) The windings of a river; the land along a winding stream.

Link

(broadcasting) An introductory cue.

Link

(obsolete) A torch, used to light dark streets.

Link

(transitive) To connect two or more things.

Link

To contain a hyperlink to another page.
My homepage links to my wife's.

Link

To supply (somebody) with a hyperlink; to direct by means of a link.
Haven't you seen his Web site? I'll link you to it.

Link

To post a hyperlink to.
Stop linking those unfunny comics all the time!

Link

(transitive) To demonstrate a correlation between two things.

Link

(compilation) To combine objects generated by a compiler into a single executable.

Link

To meet with someone.

Link

To skip or trip along smartly; to go quickly.

Link

A torch made of tow and pitch, or the like.

Link

A single ring or division of a chain.

Link

Hence: Anything, whether material or not, which binds together, or connects, separate things; a part of a connected series; a tie; a bond.
The link of brotherhood, by whichOne common Maker bound me to the kind.
And so by double links enchained themselves in lover's life.

Link

Anything doubled and closed like a link; as, a link of horsehair.

Link

Any one of the several elementary pieces of a mechanism, as the fixed frame, or a rod, wheel, mass of confined liquid, etc., by which relative motion of other parts is produced and constrained.

Link

Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (Steam Engine), the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion.

Link

A bond of affinity, or a unit of valence between atoms; - applied to a unit of chemical force or attraction.

Link

Sausages; - because linked together.

Link

A hill or ridge, as a sand hill, or a wooded or turfy bank between cultivated fields, etc.

Link

Sand hills with the surrounding level or undulating land, such as occur along the seashore, a river bank, etc.
Golf may be played on any park or common, but its original home is the "links" or common land which is found by the seashore, where the short close tuft, the sandy subsoil, and the many natural obstacles in the shape of bents, whins, sand holes, and banks, supply the conditions which are essential to the proper pursuit of the game.

Link

Hence, any such piece of ground where golf is played; a golf course.

Link

To connect or unite with a link or as with a link; to join; to attach; to unite; to couple.
All the tribes and nations that composed it [the Roman Empire] were linked together, not only by the same laws and the same government, but by all the facilities of commodious intercourse, and of frequent communication.

Link

To be connected.
No one generation could link with the other.

Link

The means of connection between things linked in series

Link

A fastener that serves to join or link;
The walls are held together with metal links placed in the wet mortar during construction

Link

The state of being connected;
The connection between church and state is inescapable

Link

A connecting shape

Link

A unit of length equal to 1/100 of a chain

Link

(computing) an instruction that connects one part of a program or an element on a list to another program or list

Link

A channel for communication between groups;
He provided a liaison with the guerrillas

Link

A two-way radio communication system (usually microwave); part of a more extensive telecommunication network

Link

An interconnecting circuit between two or more locations for the purpose of transmitting and receiving data

Link

Make a logical or causal connection;
I cannot connect these two pieces of evidence in my mind
Colligate these facts
I cannot relate these events at all

Link

Connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces;
Can you connect the two loudspeakers?
Tie the ropes together
Link arms

Link

Be or become joined or united or linked;
The two streets connect to become a highway
Our paths joined
The travelers linked up again at the airport

Link

Link with or as with a yoke;
Yoke the oxen together

Common Curiosities

How does linkage influence political strategies?

Linkage in politics refers to how issues are connected to each other and their impact on voter behavior and policy making.

Can linkage affect genetic inheritance?

Yes, genetic linkage affects how traits are inherited by determining the closeness of genes on a chromosome.

What is the primary use of a linkage?

Linkage is primarily used to describe systems where components are connected for mechanical, genetic, or conceptual purposes.

What differentiates linkage from a simple link in mechanics?

Linkage involves a combination of several links to manage movements and forces, whereas a simple link is just one component of that system.

Are all links in a network digital?

Not all links are digital; in networks, links can also be physical, such as cables in a telecommunications network.

What is the importance of a hyperlink in computing?

Hyperlinks are crucial in computing for navigating between resources and linking data across the internet.

How does a link function in a chain?

A link in a chain functions as a connecting element that joins the chain into a continuous loop.

What is an example of a linkage in everyday life?

The linkage between a car's steering system and its wheels is a common everyday example.

Can a link exist independently of a linkage?

Yes, a link can exist independently as it is often a single connecting element, not necessarily part of a larger system.

How do links support the functioning of the internet?

Links enable the connectivity and navigation that are fundamental to the operation of the internet, allowing users to access diverse information seamlessly.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Urooj Arif
Urooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.

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