variable

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈveə(ɹ).i.ə.bl̩/, SAMPA: /"ve@(r\).i.@.bl=/
• (US) IPA: /ˈveɹ.i.ə.bl̩/, /ˈvæɹ.i.ə.bl̩/, SAMPA: /"vEr\.i.@.bl=/, /"v{r\.i.@.bl=/

• Audio (US)

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Etymology

From Old French variable, from Latin variare (“to change”), from varius (“different, various”).

Adjective

variable (comparative more variable, superlative most variable)

1. able to vary
2. likely to vary
3. marked by diversity or difference
4. (mathematics) having no fixed quantitative value
5. (biology) tending to deviate from a normal or recognized type

Synonyms

• (able to vary): alterable, flexible, changeable, mutable
• (likely to vary): fickle, fluctuating, inconstant, shifting, unstable, unsteady
• (marked by diversity or difference): varying
• (biology: tending to deviate from a normal or recognized type): aberrant

Antonyms

• (able to vary): constant, invariable, immutable, unalterable, unchangeable
• (likely to vary): constant, invariable, immutable, unchangeable
• (marked by diversity or difference): unchanging
• (mathematics: having no fixed quantitative value): constant, invariable

Derived terms

• variability
• variableness

Translations

able to vary

Dutch: veranderlijk (nl), variabel (nl), regelbaar (nl) Finnish: vaihteleva, muuttuva French: variable (fr) Galician: variable (gl) German: variabel (de) Greek: ευμετάβλητος (el) (efmetávlitos) m., άστατος (el) (ástatos) m., ευμετάβολος (el) (efmetávolos) m. Italian: variabile, regolabile, flessiblie, modificabile Japanese: 可変な (ja) (kahenna), 変えられる (kaerareru)

Norwegian: variabel (no) Polish: zmienny m., zmienna f., zmienne n. Portuguese: variável (pt) Romanian: variabil (ro) m. and n. Russian: переменный (ru) (pereménnyj), изменчивый (ru) (izménčivyj), непостоянный (ru) (nepostojánnyj) Swedish: flexibel (sv), föränderlig (sv), reglerbar (sv), rörlig (sv), ställbar (sv), variabel (sv) Telugu: మారగల (maaragala), మారే (maarae) Turkish: değişken (tr)

likely to vary

Dutch: veranderlijk, variabel, schommelend, wisselend, onbestendig Esperanto: varia (eo) Finnish: vaihteleva, muuttuva German: variabel (de) Italian: variabile (it) Japanese: 変わりうる (ja) (kawariuru), 変わりやすい (ja) (kawariyasui) Norwegian: variabel (no)

Polish: zmienny m., zmienna f., zmienne n. Portuguese: variável (pt) Romanian: variabil (ro) m. and n. Russian: переменный (pereménnyj), изменчивый (izménčivyj), непостоянный (nepostojánnyj) Swedish: ombytlig (sv), ostadig (sv), växlande (sv) Telugu: అస్థిర (asthira)

marked by diversity or difference

Dutch: veranderlijk, variabel, schommelend, wisselend, onbestendig Finnish: vaihteleva (fi) Greek: μεταβλητός (el) (metavlitós) m. Italian: variabile (it) Norwegian: varierende (no)

Polish: zmienny m., zmienna f., zmienne n. Romanian: variabil (ro) m. and n. Russian: переменный (pereménnyj), изменчивый (izménčivyj), непостоянный (nepostojánnyj) Swedish: varierande (sv), omväxlande (sv)

mathematics: having no fixed quantitative value

Chinese: Mandarin: 變數 (cmn), 变数 (cmn) (biànshù) Dutch: veranderlijk (nl), variabel (nl) Estonian: muutuja (et) Finnish: vaihteleva (fi) French: variable (fr) f. German: variabel (de) Greek: μεταβλητή (el) (metavlití) f. Hebrew: משתנה (he) (mishtane) m. Italian: variabile (it)

Japanese: 可変な (ja) (kahen na) Macedonian: променлив (mk) (prómenliv) m. Norwegian: variabel (no) Polish: zmienna (pl) f. Portuguese: variável (pt) Romanian: variabil (ro) m. and n. Russian: переменный (pereménnyj), переменная (ru) f. Swedish: variabel (sv) Telugu: చర (chara)

biology: tending to deviate from a normal or recognized type

Norwegian: avvikende (no) Polish: zmienny m., zmienna f., zmienne n.

Romanian: schimbabil (ro) m. and n., variabil (ro) m. and n. Swedish: avvikande (sv)

Noun

variable (plural variables)

1. something that is variable
2. something whose value may be dictated or discovered

   There are several variables to consider here.

3. (mathematics) a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values
4. (mathematics) a symbol representing a variable
5. (programming) a named memory location in which a program can store intermediate results and from which it can read them
6. (astronomy) a variable star

Synonyms

• (something that is variable): changeable
• (something whose value may be dictated or discovered): parameter
• (mathematics: a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values): variable quantity

Antonyms

• (something that is variable): constant, invariable

Hyponyms

• See also Wikisaurus:variable

Derived terms

bound variable categorical variable continuous variable dependent variable discrete variable flow variable free variable independent variable interval variable

metasyntactic variable nominal variable ordinal variable ratio variable stock variable variable star variably vary

Translations

something that is variable

Czech: proměnná (cs) f. Dutch: variabele m. and f., veranderlijke m. and f. French: variable (fr) f. German: Variable (de) f. Italian: variabile (it) f.

Norwegian: variabel (no) m. Polish: zmienny m., zmienna f., zmienne n. Portuguese: variável (pt) f. Romanian: variabilă (ro) Swedish: variabel (sv) c. Telugu: చరము (charamu)

something whose value may be dictated or discovered

Czech: faktor (cs) m. Dutch: veranderlijke m. and f., variabele m. and f., variabele waarde f. Finnish: muuttuja (fi) French: variable (fr) f., paramètre (fr) m. German: Variable (de) f.

Italian: variabile (it) f. Norwegian: variabel (no) m. Portuguese: variável (pt) f. Russian: неизвестное (ru) (neizvéstnoje) n. Swedish: parameter (sv) c., variabel (sv) c.

mathematics: a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values

Arabic: متغير (ar) (mutagháyyir) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 變數 (cmn), 变数 (cmn) (biànshù), 變量 (cmn), 变量 (cmn) (biànliàng) Czech: proměnná (cs) f. Dutch: variabele m. and f., veranderlijke m. and f. Finnish: muuttuja (fi) French: variable (fr) f., paramètre (fr) m. German: Variable (de) f., Parameter (de) m. Greek: μεταβλητή (el) f. Hebrew: משתנה (he) (mishtane) f. Hindi: चर (hi) (car)

Italian: variabile (it) f., parametro (it) m. Japanese: 変数 (ja) (へんすう, hensū) Korean: 변수 (ko) (byeonsu) (變數 (ko)) Macedonian: променлива (mk) (proménliva) f. Norwegian: variabel (no) m. Portuguese: variável (pt) f. Romanian: variabilă (ro), parametru (ro) Russian: переменная (ru) (pereménnaja) f. Spanish: variable (es) f. Swedish: variabel (sv) c. Telugu: చరరాశి (chararaaSi) Thai: ตัวแปร (th) (tạwpær) Vietnamese: biên sô (vi) (變數 (vi))

mathematics: a symbol representing a variable

Dutch: variabele m. and f., veranderlijke m. and f. Finnish: muuttuja (fi) French: variable (fr) f., paramètre (fr) m. German: Variable f., Symbol n., Platzhalter m., Variablensymbol n., Greek: μεταβλητή (el) f. Japanese: 変数 (ja) (へんすう, hensū)

Korean: 변수 (ko) (byeonsu) Norwegian: variabel (no) m. Portuguese: variável (pt) f. Romanian: variabilă (ro) Russian: неизвестная (ru) (neizvéstnaja) f., переменная (ru) (pereménnaja) f. Swedish: variabel (sv) c.

computing: a named mutable piece of storage

Arabic: متغير (ar) (mutagháyyir) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 變數 (cmn), 变数 (cmn) (biànshù) Czech: proměnná (cs) f. Finnish: muuttuja (fi) French: variable (fr) f. German: Variable (de) f. Greek: μεταβλητή (el) (metablētḗ) Hebrew: משתנה (he) (mishtane) f. Hindi: चर (hi) (car)

Japanese: 変数 (ja) (へんすう, hensū) Korean: 변수 (ko) (byeonsu) (變數 (ko)) Norwegian: variabel (no) m. Portuguese: variável (pt) f. Russian: переменная (ru) (pereménnaja) f. Swedish: variabel (sv) c. Thai: ตัวแปร (th) (tạwpær) Turkish: değişken (tr) Vietnamese: biên sô (vi) (變數 (vi))

astronomy: a variable star — see variable star

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Mandarin: 可变物 (kě biàn wù), 可變, 可变 (kě biàn) Korean: 가변 (gabyeon), 변하기 (byeonhagi) Lithuanian: kintamasis m. Slovak: premenná f. Spanish: variable f.

See also

• argument
• variate

External links

• variable in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• variable in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• variable at OneLook Dictionary Search

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French

Etymology

From Latin variabilis.

Adjective

variable m. (f. variable, m. plural variables, f. plural variables)

1. variable

Noun

variable f. (plural variables)

1. variable

Anagrams

• balivera

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Galician

Etymology

From Latin variābilis.

Adjective

variable m. and f. (plural variables)

1. variable, changeable

Related terms

• variación
• variar

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Spanish

Adjective

variable m. and f. (plural variables)

1. variable

Noun

variable f. (plural variables)

1. variable

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Swedish

Adjective

variable

1. absolute definite natural masculine form of variabel.