Definition of "variety"

(countable)

1. A deviation or difference.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • The difference, therefore, in theſe animals, ariſes rather from their habits than their confirmation; and, upon examination, there vvill be leſs variety found betvveen them than betvveen birds that live upon land, and thoſe that ſvvim upon the vvater.

     1791, Oliver Goldsmith, “Of the Tortoise, and Its Kinds”, in An History of the Earth, and Animated Nature. […], new edition, volume VI, London: […] F[rancis] Wingrave, successor to Mr. [John] Nourse, […], page 347

2. A specific variation of something.  quotations

   Quotations

   • The ſpirit of that competition burns / VVith all varieties of ill by turns, / Each vainly magnifies his ovvn ſucceſs, / Reſents his fellovvs, vviſhes it vvere leſs, […]

     1785, William Cowper, “Tirocinium: Or, A Review of Schools”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], page 318

   • Yet the task of composing dramatic varieties, of training players, and deliberating in the theatrical senate, or even of expressing philosophically his opinions on these points, could not wholly occupy such a mind as his.

     1825, Thomas Carlyle, “Part II. From His Settlement at Manheim to His Settlement at Jena (1783–1790).”, in The Life of Friedrich Schiller. […], London: […] [C. Richards] for Taylor and Hessey, […], page 77

   • In some respects he [Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon] was well fitted for his great place. […] No man was better acquainted with general maxims of statecraft. No man observed the varieties of character with a more discriminating eye.

     1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter II, in The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume I, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, page 172

   1. (biology, loosely) An animal or plant (or a group of such animals or plants) with characteristics causing it to differ from other animals or plants of the same species; a strain or cultivar.  quotations

      Quotations

      • Many more ſorts of varieties of theſe kindes [of Aconitum anthora] there are, but theſe onely, as the moſt ſpecious, are nourſed vp in Floriſts Gardens for pleaſure; the other are kept by ſuch as are Catholicke obſeruers of all natures ſtore.

        1629, John Parkinson, “Aconitum. Wolfebane.”, in Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris. […], London: […] Hvmfrey Lownes and Robert Yovng […], page 215

      • But of all theſe varieties of Roſes, the beſt and moſt eſtemed amongſt the Red, are thoſe called the Roſe of the VVorld, the Red Belgick, the Red Marble, the Roſe vvithout Thorns, and the Red Provence Roſe.

        1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, “Rose-Tree”, in The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], published 1708, book XIII, page 476

      • When we look to the individuals of the same variety or sub-variety of our older cultivated plants and animals, one of the first points which strikes us, is, that they generally differ much more from each other, than do the individuals of any one species or variety in a state of nature.

        1859 November 24, Charles Darwin, “Variation under Domestication”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, […], London: John Murray, […], page 7

      1. (botany, taxonomy) A rank in a taxonomic classification below species and (if present) subspecies, and above form; hence, an organism of that rank.  examples

   2. (linguistics) A specific form of a language, neutral to whether that form is an accent, dialect, register, etc., and to its prestige level; an isolect or lect.  quotations  examples

      Quotations

      • The mere existence of a dictionary of a certain variety of English does not automatically confer acceptance of that variety.

        2014 March, James Lambert, “Diachronic Stability in Indian English Lexis”, in World Englishes‎, volume 33, number 1, Oxford, Oxfordshire, New York, N.Y.: Pergamon Press for the International Association for World Englishes, page 114

   3. (philately) A stamp, or set of stamps, which has one or more characteristics (such as colour, paper, etc.) differing from other stamps in the same issue, especially if such differences are intentionally introduced.  examples

3. A collection or number of different things.  quotations

   Quotations

   • But nether in this maner, nor any other particular procedyng, can we ſufficiently direct yow: but, notyng unto yow the generalitees of our deſyre, referr yow to apply your doings to the varieté and occurrency of thyngs there.

     1563 February 4 (Gregorian calendar), “A Memoriall for Sir Thomas Smyth Knight, Sent by the Quene’s Majestie the … of January 1562”, in [Patrick] Forbes, editor, A Full View of the Public Transactions in the Reign of Q. Elizabeth: Or A Particular Account of All the Memorable Affairs of That Queen, […], volume II, London: […] J. Bettenham, and sold by G. Hawkins, […], published 1741, page 312

   • And in this may receiue ſome immediate benefit, if by contemplation, hee behold the varietie of temporary bleſſings, no part in the Vniuerſe exceeding theſe, not vvith-held from Pagan people afforded by Gods al-knovving and guiding Prouidence, vvhich notvvithſtanding being mixt vvith vnthankfulneſſe, damnable Idolatry, and variety of carnall obiects turne to their greater diſtruction, and endleſſe miſeries.

     1634, T[homas] H[erbert], “Of Mallabar”, in A Relation of Some Yeares Travaile, Begunne Anno 1626. into Afrique and the Greater Asia, […], London: […] William Stansby, and Jacob Bloome, page 186

   • In other parts of the ſea are ſeen ſponges of various magnitude, and extraordinary appearances, aſſuming a variety of phantaſtic forms like large muſhrooms, mitres, fonts, and flovver-pots.

     1791, Oliver Goldsmith, “Of Lythophytes and Sponges”, in An History of the Earth, and Animated Nature. […], new edition, volume VIII, London: […] F[rancis] Wingrave, successor to Mr. [John] Nourse, […], page 122

   • One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements. But even here I was not free from interruption, for he was seated on a horse-block below me, playing with a fox terrier.

     1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., pages 46–47

   • In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.” His quest leads him around the world to study a variety of suspect zoonoses—animal-hosted pathogens that infect humans.

     2013 January, Katie L. Burke, “Book Review: Ecological Dependency: Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic. David Quammen. 587 pp. W. W. Norton and Company, 2012. $28.95.”, in American Scientist‎, volume 101, number 1, New Haven, Conn.: Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, archived from the original on 22 January 2013, page 64

   1. (algebra)

      1. In universal algebra: an equational class; the class of all algebraic structures of a given signature, satisfying a given set of identities.  examples

      2. (algebraic geometry) Ellipsis of algebraic variety (“the set of solutions of a given system of polynomial equations over the real or complex numbers; any of certain generalisations of such a set that preserves the geometric intuition implicit in the original definition”).  examples

   2. (cybernetics) The total number of distinct states of a system; also, the logarithm to the base 2 of the total number of distinct states of a system.  examples

4. (radio, television, theater) Ellipsis of variety performance. or variety show (“a type of entertainment featuring a succession of short, unrelated performances by various artistes such as (depending on the medium) acrobats, comedians, dancers, magicians, singers, etc.”).  examples

(uncountable)

1. The quality of being varied; diversity.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • Nor is our body made of one parte onely, but of manye and diuerſe. […] The diuers placyng and vſe is not to the member reprochful, but this varietie rather apertayneth to the welth of the whole body.

     1549 August 26 (Gregorian calendar), Erasmus, “The Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the First Epistle of the Apostle S. Paule to the Corinthians. Chapter XII.”, in Myles Coverdall [i.e., Myles Coverdale], transl., The Seconde Tome or Volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testament: […], London: […] Edwarde Whitchurche, folio xxxiiii, recto

   • Age cannot vvither her, nor cuſtome ſtale / Her infinite variety: […]

     c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act II, scene ii], page 347, column 2

   • And ſhe [Nature] affects ſo much to uſe / Variety, in all ſhe does.

     a. 1681, Samuel Butler, “The Elephant in the Moon”, in R[obert] Thyer, editor, The Genuine Remains in Verse and Prose of Mr. Samuel Butler, […], volume I, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1759, page 15, lines 279–280

   • Variety’s the very ſpice of life / That gives it all its flavor.

     1785, William Cowper, “Book II. The Time-piece.”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], page 76

   • I never keep to any thing long; Variety is the mother of Enjoyment.

     1827, [Benjamin Disraeli], chapter IV, in Vivian Grey, volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], book V, page 84

   • The teeth of sharks, for all their variety, share one characteristic, and that is the way in which they are attached. They are not permanent, but are constantly being replaced, not only when one is lost, but as a constant function of growth.

     1976, Richard Ellis, “The Biology of Sharks”, in The Book of Sharks (A Borzoi Book), New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, published 1989, page 34, column 1

2. (radio, television, theater) The kind of entertainment given in variety performances or shows; also, the production of, or performance in, variety performances or shows.  examples