variation

English Online Dictionary. What means variation‎? What does variation mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle French variation, from Old French variacion, from Latin variātiō, from vary +‎ -ation.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/, /ˌvæɹiˈeɪʃn̩/, /ˌvɛɹiˈeɪʃn̩/
• Hyphenation: va‧ri‧a‧tion

Noun

variation (usually uncountable, plural variations)

1. The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing.
2. A related but distinct thing.
3. (nautical) The angular difference at the vessel between the direction of true north and magnetic north.

   Synonym: magnetic declination

4. (board games) A line of play that differs from the original.
5. (music) A technique where material is repeated with alterations to the melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture, counterpoint or orchestration; but with some invariant characteristic, e.g. a ground bass.
6. (genetics) The modification of a hereditary trait.
7. (astronomy) Deviation from the mean orbit of a heavenly body.
8. (linguistics) The situation where two or more linguistic forms appear in the same environment without a change in meaning, the choice of form being determined by factors of dialect, sociolect, register or simply the speaker's preference.

Derived terms

Related terms

• vary
• variant

Translations

References

• US FM 55-501 MARINE CREWMAN’S HANDBOOK; 1 December 1999
• “variation”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “variation”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin variātiōnem. See also véraison.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /va.ʁja.sjɔ̃/

Noun

variation f (plural variations)

1. variation

Derived terms

• boîte de vitesses à variation continue

Related terms

• varier

Descendants

• → Persian: واریاسیون (vâriyâsiyon)
• → Turkish: varyasyon

Further reading

• “variation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Swedish

Etymology

From French variation, attested from 1656.

Noun

variation c

1. variation

Declension

Related terms

• variant
• variera

References