variation

American  

[vair-ee-ey-shuhn] / ˌvɛər iˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act, process, or accident of varying in condition, character, or degree.

   Prices are subject to variation.

   Synonyms:

   difference , divergence , deviation , modification , alteration , mutation

2. an instance of this.

   There is a variation in the quality of fabrics in this shipment.

3. amount, rate, extent, or degree of change.

   a temperature variation of 40° in a particular climate.

4. a different form of something; variant.

5. Music.

   1. the transformation of a melody or theme with changes or elaborations in harmony, rhythm, and melody.

   2. a varied vary form of a melody or theme, especially one of a series of such forms developing the capacities of the subject.

6. Ballet.  a solo dance, especially one forming a section of a pas de deux.

7. Astronomy.  any deviation from the mean orbit of a heavenly body, especially of a planetary or satellite orbit.

8. Also called magnetic declination,.  Also called magnetic variation.  Navigation.  the angle between the geographic and the magnetic meridian at a given point, expressed in plus degrees east or minus degrees west of true north.

9. Biology.  a difference or deviation in structure or character from others of the same species or group.

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variation British  

/ ˌvɛərɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act, process, condition, or result of changing or varying; diversity

2. an instance of varying or the amount, rate, or degree of such change

3. something that differs from a standard or convention

4. music

   1. a repetition of a musical theme in which the rhythm, harmony, or melody is altered or embellished

   2. ( as modifier )

      variation form

5. biology

   1. a marked deviation from the typical form or function

   2. a characteristic or an organism showing this deviation

6. astronomy any change in or deviation from the mean motion or orbit of a planet, satellite, etc, esp a perturbation of the moon

7. another word for magnetic declination

8. ballet a solo dance

9. linguistics any form of morphophonemic change, such as one involved in inflection, conjugation, or vowel mutation

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Other Word Forms

• intervariation noun
• nonvariation noun
• overvariation noun
• prevariation noun
• self-variation noun
• variational adjective
• variationally adverb
• variative adjective
• variatively adverb

Etymology

Origin of variation

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin variātiōn-, stem of variātiō; equivalent to variate + -ion; replacing Middle English variacioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above

Example Sentences

Most fruity martinis are actually daiquiri variations in pointy glasses.

From Salon

Instead, they maintain foam through Marangoni stresses -- forces created when variations in surface tension generate movement across a liquid's surface.

From Science Daily

Moreover, there is substantial income variation between urban vs. rural seniors, and between those in coastal megacities and those in hinterland counties.

From Barron's

Bamboo scaffolds have "intrinsic weaknesses such as variation in mechanical properties, deterioration over time and high combustibility, etc, giving rise to safety concerns", the bureau's spokesperson Terence Lam was quoted as saying.

From BBC

“There are many different ways to cry,” wrote O’Farrell, whose book goes on to list several variations.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abnormality
• alteration
• change
• deviation
• discrepancy
• disparity
• divergence
• diversity
• fluctuation
• innovation
• modification
• mutation
• shift
• variety