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, 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. Compare deviation ( def 4 ).
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

Derived Forms

• ˌvariˈationally, adverb
• ˌvariˈational, adjective

Other Words From

• vari·ation·al var·i·a·tive [vair, -ee-ey-tiv], adjective
• vari·ation·al·ly vari·ative·ly adverb
• inter·vari·ation noun
• nonvar·i·ation noun
• over·vari·ation noun
• prevar·i·ation noun
• self-vari·ation 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

Related Words

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