variation

[vair-ee-ey-shuhn]

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.

variation

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of variation¹

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

Size is also an issue at Tamarind Tribeca, an Indian restaurant in New York that makes tandoori turkey, a variation of the chicken dish also prepared in a vertical oven.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Guns at the time were made by skilled craftsmen, limiting their production, and slight variations meant that damaged parts couldn’t be easily replaced.

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There have been numerous variations on “the cruelty is the point” since then, but Serwer’s take remains the original.

Read more on Salon

These variations can imitate the subtle radial velocity signals astronomers look for, sometimes making it difficult to determine whether a planet is truly present.

Read more on Science Daily

These variations make it difficult to implement consistent airflow improvements, which reinforces the need for personalized ventilation options.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

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