variable

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

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

   variable winds or seasons; a variable quantity

2. likely to vary
   • Shakespeare

     Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.

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

• Czech: proměnlivý (cs), variabilní (cs), proměnný (cs)
• 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 (ja) (kahen), 変えられる (kaerareru)
• Norwegian: variabel (no)

• Persian: متغیر (fa) (moteğayyer)
• Polish: zmienny m
• Portuguese: variável (pt)
• Romanian: variabil (ro) m and n
• Russian: переменный (ru) (pereménnyj), изменчивый (ru) (izménčivyj), непостоянный (ru) (nepostojánnyj)
• Spanish: variable (es)
• 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

• Portuguese: variável (pt)
• Romanian: variabil (ro) m and n
• Russian: переменный (pereménnyj), изменчивый (izménčivyj), непостоянный (nepostojánnyj)
• Spanish: variable (es)
• 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
• 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)

• Czech: variabilní (cs), proměnný (cs)
• 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 (ja) (kahen)
• Macedonian: променлив (mk) (prómenliv) m
• Norwegian: variabel (no)
• Persian: متغیر (fa) (moteğayyer)
• Polish: zmienna (pl) f
• Portuguese: variável (pt)
• Romanian: variabil (ro) m and n
• Russian: переменный (pereménnyj), переменная (ru) (peremennaja) f
• Swedish: variabel (sv)
• Telugu: చర (chara)

biology: tending to deviate from a normal or recognized type

• Norwegian: avvikende (no)
• Polish: zmienny m

• 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.
   • 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193: 

     Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents.

   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

Derived terms

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

global variable independent variable instance variable interval variable local variable member 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
• Portuguese: variável (pt) f
• Romanian: variabilă (ro)
• Swedish: variabel (sv) c
• Telugu: చరము (charamu)
• Turkish: değişken (tr)

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
• Turkish: değişken (tr)

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) (metavlití) 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), 変項 (ja) (へんこう, henkō)

• Korean: 변수 (ko) (byeonsu) (變數 (ko))
• Macedonian: променлива (mk) (proménliva) f
• Norwegian: variabel (no) m
• Persian: متغیر (fa) (moteğayyer)
• 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)
• Turkish: değişken (tr)
• 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) (metavlití) f
• Japanese: 変数 (ja) (へんすう, hensū)
• Korean: 변수 (ko) (byeonsu)

• Norwegian: variabel (no) m
• Persian: متغیر (fa) (moteğayyer)
• Portuguese: variável (pt) f
• Romanian: variabilă (ro)
• Russian: неизвестная (ru) (neizvéstnaja) f, переменная (ru) (pereménnaja) f
• Swedish: variabel (sv) c
• Turkish: değişken (tr)

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
• Dutch: variabele (nl) m and 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
• Persian: متغیر (fa) (moteğayyer)
• 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 (feminine variable, masculine plural variables, feminine plural variablees)

1. variable

Noun

variable f (plural variables)

1. variable

Anagrams

• balivera

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Galician

Alternative forms

• variábel

Etymology

From Latin variābilis.

Adjective

variable m and f (plural variables)

1. variable, changeable

Antonyms

• invariable

Noun

variable f (plural variables)

1. variable

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.