vary

English

Etymology

From Middle English varien, from Old French varier, from Latin variō (“to change, alter, make different”), from varius (“different, various”); see various

Pronunciation

Verb

vary (third-person singular simple present varies, present participle varying, simple past and past participle varied)

  1. (transitive) To change with time or a similar parameter.
    He varies his magic tricks so as to minimize the possibility that any given audience member will see the same trick twice.
  2. (transitive) To institute a change in, from a current state; to modify.
    You should vary your diet. Eating just bread will do you harm in the end.
    • Waller
      Gods, that never change their state, / Vary oft their love and hate.
    • Dryden
      We are to vary the customs according to the time and country where the scene of action lies.
  3. (intransitive) Not to remain constant: to change with time or a similar parameter.
    His mood varies by the hour.
    The sine function varies between −1 and 1.
    • Addison
      While fear and anger, with alternate grace, / Pant in her breast, and vary in her face.
  4. (of the members of a group, intransitive) To display differences.
    The sprouting tendency of potatoes varies between cultivars, years and places of growing.
  5. (intransitive) To be or act different from the usual.
    I'm not comfortable with 3.Nc3 in the Caro-Kann, so I decided to vary and play exd5.
  6. (transitive) To make of different kinds; to make different from one another; to diversity; to variegate.
    • Sir Thomas Browne
      God hath varied their inclinations.
    • Milton
      God hath here / Varied his bounty so with new delights.
  7. (transitive, music) To embellish; to change fancifully; to present under new aspects, as of form, key, measure, etc. See variation.
  8. (obsolete) To disagree; to be at variance or in dissension.
    • Webster (1623)
      the rich jewel which we vary for

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Noun

vary (uncountable)

  1. (obsolete) alteration; change.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Further reading

  • vary in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • vary in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

Malagasy

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bəʀas, from Proto-Austronesian *bəʀas.

Noun

vary

  1. rice ((raw) seeds used as food)
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