varietal

American  

[vuh-rahy-i-tl] / vəˈraɪ ɪ tl /

adjective

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

2. constituting a variety.

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

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noun

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

varietal British  

/ vəˈraɪɪtəl /

adjective

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

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noun

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

Other Word Forms

• intervarietal
  adjective
• varietally
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of varietal

First recorded in 1865–70; variet(y) + -al ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

varietal

In the words of the eminent Australian viticulturalist Dr Richard Smart to World of Wine, even relatively small changes in temperature could “effectively rewrite regional reputations and varietal preferences.”

From Salon ● May 1, 2024

It’s an ancient citrus varietal, one that’s lumpy, wrinkly and somewhat oblong.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2023

Sadly, it is almost impossible to trace a current varietal back to western Asia or the Caucasus, the two early domestication centers.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 21, 2023

With its embrace of the international varietal of football, the U.S. is becoming a global sports hub in the same way it has long been a hub for music and film.

From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2023

Its several phases have been again and again observed and described too often by distinct specific or varietal names.

From The North American Slime-Moulds A Descriptive List of All Species of Myxomycetes Hitherto Reported from the Continent of North America, with Notes on Some Extra-Limital Species by Thomas H. (Thomas Huston) MacBride

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