variation
- 1A small change in the way something looks, works, or is arranged.
Like baking the same cake but changing one thing each time.
There was a lot of variation in the color of the leaves.
Small variations in temperature can change how the bread rises.
Similarvariance, change, fluctuation, difference, deviation
Oppositeuniformity, consistency, constancy, sameness
Note
- 2Something that is like another thing but not exactly the same.
Like a cousin, related to you, but not the same person.
This soup is a variation on my grandmother's original recipe.
The two games are really variations of the same basic idea.
Similarvariant, version, adaptation, take
Oppositeoriginal
Note
- 3A way of playing the same tune again with changes, while keeping one part the same.
Like singing the same song but changing how you sing it each time.
The pianist played a lively variation on the folk melody.
Each variation kept the same bass line but changed the rhythm.
Note
- 4A change in a feature that living things pass on to their young.
Like how brothers and sisters can look a little different even with the same parents.
Variation in beak size helped the birds feed on different foods.
Small variations between the offspring make each one slightly different.
Similardiversity, variability, difference
Oppositeuniformity
Note
- 5When people can use two different words or sounds for the same thing without changing the meaning.
Like two roads that both take you to the same place, so it doesn't matter which you pick.
Free variation lets a speaker pronounce the ending either way without changing the meaning.
Regional variation explains why some people say 'soda' and others say 'pop.'
Note
- 6A different way of playing through a game from the usual one.
Like taking a different path through a maze you already know.
This chess opening has a popular variation that surprises new players.
They studied several variations before the tournament began.
Similarline
Note
- 7The amount a moon or planet drifts away from its normal path through space.
Like a runner drifting a little out of their lane on a track.
Astronomers measured a small variation in the moon's orbit.
Tiny variations in the planet's path puzzled early scientists.
Similarperturbation, deviation
Note
- 8The difference in angle between true north and the north a compass points to.
Like a clock that runs a little fast, so you adjust to find the real time.
The navigator added the local variation to correct the compass reading.
Charts list the magnetic variation for each region of the sea.
Similardeclination
Note
Practice
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Origin
It comes from Latin "variātiō," made from "vary" plus "-ation." It reached English through French.