Variation

How to spell variation

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce variation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does variation mean?

1. nounA change or difference in condition, amount, or degree, or a form that differs from a standard or norm.

Variation in a sentence

• The survey found a wide variation in house prices across the region.

• A slight variation in temperature can spoil the experiment.

Where does variation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin variatio, meaning 'a difference' or 'a change', which was formed from the verb variare, 'to make different' or 'to diversify'. That verb in turn rested on varius, an adjective meaning 'speckled', 'varied', or 'changeable', the same root that gives us 'various' and 'variety'. English took the word in through Old French variacion in the late 1300s, originally describing differences or fluctuations of any kind. Over the centuries it picked up specialised uses in music (a reworked version of a theme), in mathematics, and in biology, where Darwin made it central to the study of inherited differences. The spelling trap is the single 'r' followed by the smooth '-ation' ending, since the unstressed middle syllables blur together when spoken.

How the word is built

• vari- (from Latin variare: to change, diversify)
• -ation (noun suffix indicating an action or its result)