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Contents
variety
Overview
This page has 11 definitions of variety in English. Variety is a noun. Examples of how to use variety in a sentence are shown. Also define these 29 related words and terms: varied, diversity, sameness, variation, array, assortment, change, taxonomy, rank, classification, species, subspecies, cybernetics, system, logarithm, linguistics, dialect, accent, register, prestige, algebra, class, algebraic, structure, signature, identity, theatrical, entertainment, and variety show.
English
Alternative forms
- variëty (rare)
Etymology
From Middle French varieté, from Latin varietās (“difference, diversity”), from varius (“different, various”); see various.
Pronunciation
Noun
variety (countable and uncountable, plural varieties)
- The quality of being varied; diversity.
- 1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 34:
- The teeth of sharks, for all their variety, share one characteristic, and that is the way in which they are attached.
- Variety is the spice of life.
- Antonym: sameness
Varied definition
simple past tense and past participle of vary
Diversity definition
The quality of being diverse or different; difference or unlikeness. (1 of 3 diversity definitions)
- A specific variation of something.
Variation definition
The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing. (1 of 7 variation definitions)
- A number of different things.
- 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:
- One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements. But even here I was not free from interruption, for he was seated on a horse-block below me, playing with a fox terrier.
- 2013 January 1, Katie L. Burke, “Ecological Dependency”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 1, page 64:
- In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.” His quest leads him around the world to study a variety of suspect zoonoses—animal-hosted pathogens that infect humans.
- Synonyms: array, assortment
Array definition
Clothing and ornamentation. (1 of 12 array definitions)
Assortment definition
A collection of varying but related items.
- A state of constant change.
Change definition
To become something different. (1 of 8 change definitions)
- (taxonomy) A rank in a taxonomic classification, below species and subspecies.
Taxonomy definition
The science or the technique used to make a classification. (1 of 3 taxonomy definitions)
Rank definition
Strong of its kind or in character; unmitigated; virulent; thorough; utter (used of negative things). (1 of 10 rank definitions)
Classification definition
The act of forming into a class or classes; a distribution into groups, as classes, orders, families, etc., according to some common relations or attributes.
Subspecies definition
A rank in the classification of organisms, below species. (1 of 3 subspecies definitions)
- (cybernetics) The total number of distinct states of a system.
Cybernetics definition
The theory/science of communication and control in the animal and the machine. (1 of 3 cybernetics definitions)
System definition
A collection of organized things; a whole composed of relationships among its members. (1 of 8 system definitions)
- (cybernetics) Logarithm of the base 2 of the total number of distinct states of a system.
- (linguistics) A term used for a specific form of a language, neutral to whether that form is a dialect, accent, register, etc. and to its prestige level.
- 2014, James Lambert, “Diachronic stability in Indian English lexis”, in World Englishes, page 114:
- The mere existence of a dictionary of a certain variety of English does not automatically confer acceptance of that variety.
Linguistics definition
The scientific study of language.
Dialect definition
A variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular area, community, or social group, differing from other varieties of the same language in relatively minor ways as regards grammar, phonology, and lexicon. (1 of 6 dialect definitions)
Accent definition
A higher-pitched or stronger articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it. (1 of 21 accent definitions)
Register definition
A formal recording of names, events, transactions etc. (1 of 18 register definitions)
Prestige definition
The quality of how good the reputation of something or someone is, how favourably something or someone is regarded. (1 of 2 prestige definitions)
- (algebra, esp. universal algebra) The class of all algebraic structures of a given signature satisfying a given set of identities.
Algebra definition
A system for computation using letters or other symbols to represent numbers, with rules for manipulating these symbols. (1 of 8 algebra definitions)
Class definition
A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes. (1 of 15 class definitions)
Signature definition
A person's name, written by that person, used as identification or to signify approval of accompanying material, such as a legal contract. (1 of 12 signature definitions)
Identity definition
Sameness, identicalness; the quality or fact of (several specified things) being the same. (1 of 8 identity definitions)
- The kind of theatrical entertainment given in variety shows.
Variety Show definition
A theatrical entertainment featuring a succession of short, unrelated performances by singers, dancers, comedians, acrobats, magicians, etc.
- The production of, or performance in, variety shows.
Synonyms
- (quality of being varied): See also Thesaurus:nonuniformity
- (algebra, esp. universal algebra): equational variety
Hyponyms
- (specific variation of something): cultivar
Derived terms
Derived terms
- Abelian variety
- affine variety
- algebraic variety
- antivariety
- grape variety
- projective variety
- quasiprojective variety
- quasivariety
- supersingular variety
- variety show
- variety store
- standard variety
- nonstandard variety
Related terms
Translations
quality of being varied, diversity
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variation of something
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state of constant change
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rank in a taxonomic classification
cybernetics: total number of distinct states of a system
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cybernetics: logarithm of the base 2 of the total number of distinct states of a system
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linguistics: term used for a specific form of a language
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algebra: class of algebraic structures
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See also
- species
- (cybernetics: logarithm): information entropy
Further reading
- variety in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- variety in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911.