Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The quality or condition of being various or varied; diversity.
- noun A number or collection of varied things, especially of a particular group; an assortment.
- noun Something that is distinguished from others of the same kind by a specific characteristic or set of characteristics.
- noun A form of a language that is used by a specific social group and differs from forms used by other social groups.
- noun Biology A taxonomic subdivision of a species or subspecies consisting of a group of naturally occurring or selectively bred individuals that differ from other individuals of the species in certain minor characteristics.
- noun A variety show.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In agriculture and horticulture, a group of cultivated plants which have the same characteristics. All plants which have been widely cultivated have given rise to many different forms and these are in general known as varieties. Illustrations are the varieties of strawberries, apples, corn, wheat, cotton, etc. ‘Variety,’ in this sense, is thus a generic word including races, strains, and clons. See
race , 5 ,strain , 1 , andclon . - noun In petrography, in the quantitative classification of igneous rocks (see
rock ), a division of a mode which recognizes the presence of subordinate mineral components. - noun The state or character of being varied or various; intermixture of different things, or of things different in form, or a succession of different things; diversity; multifariousness; absence of monotony or uniformity; dissimilitude.
- noun Exhibition of different characteristics by one individual; many-sidedness; versatility.
- noun Variation; deviation; change.
- noun A collection of different things; a varied assortment.
- noun Something differing from others of the same general kind; one of many things which agree in their general features; a sort; a kind: as, varieties of rock, of wood, of land, of soil; to prefer one variety of cloth to another.
- noun In biology, with special reference to classification: A subspecies; a subdivision of a species; an individual animal or plant which differs, or collectively those individuals which differ, from the rest of its or their species, in certain recognizable particulars which are transmissible, and constant to a degree, yet which are not specifically distinctive, since they intergrade with the characters of other members of the same species; a race, especially a climatic or geographical race which arises without man's interference. See
species , 5.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The quality or state of being various; intermixture or succession of different things; diversity; multifariousness.
- noun That which is various.
- noun A number or collection of different things; a varied assortment.
- noun Something varying or differing from others of the same general kind; one of a number of things that are akin; a sort.
- noun (Biol.) An individual, or group of individuals, of a species differing from the rest in some one or more of the characteristics typical of the species, and capable either of perpetuating itself for a period, or of being perpetuated by artificial means; hence, a subdivision, or peculiar form, of a species.
- noun In inorganic nature, one of those forms in which a species may occur, which differ in minor characteristics of structure, color, purity of composition, etc.
- noun (Theaters), Cant Such entertainment as in given in variety shows; the production of, or performance in, variety shows.
- noun (Biol.) a variety of any species which is coincident with a geographical region, and is usually dependent upon, or caused by, peculiarities of climate.
- noun (Biol.) a cross between two individuals of different varieties of the same species; a mongrel.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A specific
variation of something - noun A state of constant
change - noun taxonomy A
rank in a taxonomicclassification , belowspecies andsubspecies . - noun cybernetics The total number of distinct states of a
system . - noun cybernetics
Logarithm of the base 2 of the total number of distinct states of asystem . - noun linguistics a term used for a specific form of a language, neutral to whether that form is a
dialect ,accent ,register , etc. and to itsprestige level. - noun algebra The
class of allalgebraic structures of a givensignature satisfying a given set ofidentities .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
- noun a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
- noun noticeable heterogeneity
- noun a difference that is usually pleasant
- noun a show consisting of a series of short unrelated performances
- noun (biology) a taxonomic category consisting of members of a species that differ from others of the same species in minor but heritable characteristics
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The minds of the spectators, therefore, are oppressed and distracted by the variety of _feelings_ which are excited, and their interest interrupted and dissipated, in some degree, from the _variety of objects_ which claim it.
Travels in France during the years 1814-15 Comprising a residence at Paris, during the stay of the allied armies, and at Aix, at the period of the landing of Bonaparte, in two volumes. Archibald Alison 1829
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We do have a move towards paternalism now, but he thinks “soft paternalism” of the Cass Sunstein variety is a pretty good idea.
Archive 2009-06-01 Rebecca Tushnet 2009
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The HD stuff, although limited in variety, is great.
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The term variety, again, in comparison with mere individual differences, is also applied arbitrarily, for convenience sake.
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However, in order to recognize this principle it is necessary to limit the term variety, to those propagating themselves by seed and are of pure and not of hybrid origin.
Species and Varieties, Their Origin by Mutation Hugo de Vries 1891
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This is a rule, which is very important for the general conception of the meaning of the term variety as contrasted with elementary species.
Species and Varieties, Their Origin by Mutation Hugo de Vries 1891
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First, the term variety is applied in horticulture and agriculture to things so widely divergent as to convey no clear idea at all.
Species and Varieties, Their Origin by Mutation Hugo de Vries 1891
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The term variety, again, in comparison with mere individual differences, is also applied arbitrarily, and for mere convenience sake.
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The term variety, again, in comparison with mere individual differences, is also applied arbitrarily, and for mere convenience sake.
On the Origin of Species~ Chapter 02 (historical) Charles Darwin 1859
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The term variety, again, in comparison with mere individual differences, is also applied arbitrarily, and for mere convenience 'sake.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. (2nd edition) Charles Darwin 1845
oroboros commented on the word variety
Contranym: one type v. many types.
March 14, 2010