VARIATION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does variation mean? 

• VARIATION (noun)
  The noun VARIATION has 11 senses:

1. an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change

2. an activity that varies from a norm or standard

3. a repetition of a musical theme in which it is modified or embellished

4. something a little different from others of the same type

5. an artifact that deviates from a norm or standard

6. the angle (at a particular location) between magnetic north and true north

7. the process of varying or being varied

8. (astronomy) any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite (especially a perturbation of the earth's moon)

9. (biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration

10. (ballet) a solo dance or dance figure

11. the act of changing or altering something slightly but noticeably from the norm or standard

  Familiarity information: VARIATION used as a noun is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• VARIATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

fluctuation; variation

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

alteration; change; modification (an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "variation"):

vicissitude (a variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something)

allomerism ((chemistry) variability in chemical composition without variation in crystalline form)

departure; deviation; difference; divergence (a variation that deviates from the standard or norm)

permutation; replacement; substitution; switch; transposition (an event in which one thing is substituted for another)

business cycle; trade cycle (recurring fluctuations in economic activity consisting of recession and recovery and growth and decline)

daily variation (fluctuations that occur between one day and the next)

diurnal variation (fluctuations that occur during each day)

tide (something that may increase or decrease (like the tides of the sea))

Derivation:

vary (be subject to change in accordance with a variable)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An activity that varies from a norm or standard

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

variance; variation

Context example:

any variation in his routine was immediately reported

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Derivation:

vary (be at variance with; be out of line with)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A repetition of a musical theme in which it is modified or embellished

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

idea; melodic theme; musical theme; theme ((music) melodic subject of a musical composition)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "variation"):

inversion ((counterpoint) a variation of a melody or part in which ascending intervals are replaced by descending intervals and vice versa)

partita (one of the variations contained in a partita)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Something a little different from others of the same type

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

edition; variant; variation; version

Context example:

the boy is a younger edition of his father

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

type (a subdivision of a particular kind of thing)

Derivation:

vary (become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An artifact that deviates from a norm or standard

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

he patented a variation on the sandal

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

thing (an artifact)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "variation"):

bastard; mongrel (derogatory term for a variation that is not genuine; something irregular or inferior or of dubious origin)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The angle (at a particular location) between magnetic north and true north

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

magnetic declination; magnetic variation; variation

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

angle (the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians)

Derivation:

vary (be subject to change in accordance with a variable)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The process of varying or being varied

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

physical process; process (a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "variation"):

covariation ((statistics) correlated variation)

Sense 8

Meaning:

(astronomy) any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite (especially a perturbation of the earth's moon)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

perturbation ((physics) a secondary influence on a system that causes it to deviate slightly)

Domain category:

astronomy; uranology (the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "variation"):

libration ((astronomy) a real or apparent slow oscillation of a moon or satellite)

Derivation:

vary (be at variance with; be out of line with)

vary (be subject to change in accordance with a variable)

Sense 9

Meaning:

(biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

mutant; mutation; sport; variation

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

being; organism (a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently)

Domain category:

biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "variation"):

freak; lusus naturae; monster; monstrosity (a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed)

Derivation:

vary (be at variance with; be out of line with)

Sense 10

Meaning:

(ballet) a solo dance or dance figure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

pas seul; variation

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

dance; dancing; saltation; terpsichore (taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music)

Domain category:

ballet; concert dance (a theatrical representation of a story that is performed to music by trained dancers)

Sense 11

Meaning:

The act of changing or altering something slightly but noticeably from the norm or standard

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

who is responsible for these variations in taxation?

Hypernyms ("variation" is a kind of...):

change (the action of changing something)

Derivation:

vary (make something more diverse and varied)

 Context examples 

Researchers have identified both common and rare genetic variations that contribute to risk for schizophrenia.

(Schizophrenia risk gene linked to cognitive deficits in mice, National Institutes of Health)

The presence of erythrocytes with excessive variation in size in the blood.

(Anisocytosis, NCI Thesaurus)

Genetic variation of the gene may contribute to Alzheimer's Disease.

(CR1 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

There is variation from person to person in the number of repeats.

(Microsatellite, NCI Dictionary)

A numerical chromosomal abnormality characterized by the presence of copy number variations in less than five percent of chromosomal arms.

(Minimal Aneuploidy, NCI Thesaurus)

Genetic variation may be associated with migraine.

(MTDH wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

A variation in or modification of the molecular sequence of a gene or gene product.

(Molecular Sequence Variation, NCI Thesaurus)

The first step is to determine the number and variations of natural IELs in people, then answer key questions.

(Some gut cells slow down metabolism, accelerate cardiovascular disease, National Institutes of Health)

Copy number variants account for a significant proportion of the genetic variation between individuals.

(Copy Number Polymorphism, NCI Dictionary)

A variation in the amino acid sequence for the serine/threonine-protein kinase B-raf protein.

(BRAF Protein Variant, NCI Thesaurus)