varietal

[vuh-rahy-i-tl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR varietal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, pertaining to, designating, or characteristic of a variety.

constituting a variety.

(in U.S. winemaking) designating a wine made entirely or chiefly from one variety of grape.

noun

a varietal wine named for such a grape (distinguished from generic).

Origin of varietal

First recorded in 1865–70; variet(y) + -al¹

Related formsva·ri·e·tal·ly, adverbin·ter·va·ri·e·tal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for varietal

diverse, varied, disparate, divergent, assorted, asymmetrical, collected, dissonant, heterogeneous, incongruous, inconsistent, indiscriminate, jarring, manifold, many, multifarious, numerous, several, some, sundry

Examples from the Web for varietal

Contemporary Examples of varietal

Climate change is making this varietal harder to grow, at least with the same result, Veseth tells The Daily Beast.
An Idiot’s Guide to New Year’s Wine
Winston Ross
December 28, 2012
This producer makes more Vermentino than any other producer, so clearly they know their varietal.
The Secrets of Matchmaking
Katie Workman
August 11, 2009

Historical Examples of varietal

These are only some of the varietal differences of the tomato.
Tomato Culture: A Practical Treatise on the Tomato
William Warner Tracy
The Floridian form has received the varietal name of mortoni.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold
This is probably only a varietal form of the preceding species.
The Butterfly Book
William Jacob Holland
Specimens connecting the typical with the varietal form are in my possession.
The Butterfly Book
William Jacob Holland
The writer prefers not to apply the varietal name to the forms of our area.
Trees of Indiana
Charles Clemon Deam

British Dictionary definitions for varietal

varietal

adjective

of, relating to, characteristic of, designating, or forming a variety, esp a biological variety

noun

a wine labelled with the name of the grape from which it is pressed

Derived Formsvarietally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for varietal

adj.

1866, a biologists' word (first attested in Darwin), from variety. In reference to wines, meaning "made from a single variety of grape" is first attested 1941, American English. As a noun, in this sense, attested from 1955.