variation

Definition

The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing.

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

• "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."
• "When the process didn't work, we tried a variation."
• "All of his soups are variations on a single recipe."

Related Words