variation

Etymology

From Middle French variation, from Old French variacion, from Latin variātiō.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌvɛɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌvɛɹiˈeɪʃn̩/

Noun

variation (usually uncountable, plural variations)

1. The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing
   • 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:

     Plant breeding is always a numbers game. […] The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, and individual plants are highly heterozygous and do not breed true. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better.

2. A related but distinct thing.

   when the process didn't work, we tried a variation;  all of his songs are variations on a single theme

3. (nautical) The angular difference at the vessel between the direction of true north and magnetic north. Also called 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.

References

• US FM 55-501 MARINE CREWMAN’S HANDBOOK; 1 December 1999
• variation in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• variation in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin variātiō. See also véraison.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /va.ʁja.sjɔ̃/

• Audio

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Noun

variation f (plural variations)

1. variation

Further reading

• “variation” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

variera +‎ -tion

Noun

variation c

1. a variation