vary

English

Etymology

From Middle English varien, from Old French varier, from Latin variō (“to change, alter, make different”), from varius (“different, various”); see various

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (UK) IPA: /ˈvɛəɹi/
• Rhymes: -ɛəɹi

Verb

vary (third-person singular simple present varies, present participle varying, simple past and past participle varied)

1. (transitive) To change with time or a similar parameter.

   He varies his magic tricks so as to minimize the possibility that any given audience member will see the same trick twice.

2. (transitive) To institute a change in, from a current state; to modify.

   You should vary your diet. Eating just bread will do you harm in the end.

3. (intransitive) Not to remain constant: to change with time or a similar parameter.

   His mood varies by the hour.

   The sine function varies between −1 and 1.

4. (of the members of a group, intransitive) To display differences.

   The sprouting tendency of potatoes varies between cultivars, years and places of growing.

5. (intransitive) To be or act different from the usual.

   I'm not comfortable with 3.Nc3 in the Caro-Kann, so I decided to vary and play exd5.

Translations

to change something with time or a similar parameter

• Finnish: vaihdella (fi)

• Polish: zmieniać / zmienić

to institute a change in — see modify

not to remain constant

• Finnish: vaihdella (fi)
• Polish: zmieniać się / zmienić się

• Scottish Gaelic: caochail (gd)

to display difference

• Finnish: vaihdella (fi)
• Polish: różnić się

• Scottish Gaelic: caochail (gd)

to act different from usual

• Finnish: vaihdella (fi)

• Scottish Gaelic: caochail (gd)

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

• Czech: různit (cs) se
• Danish: varierer (da)
• Dutch: variëren (nl)
• Esperanto: varii (eo)
• French: varier (fr)
• Galician: variar (gl)

• German: sich ändern, variieren
• Mandarin: 多變 (cmn)
• Norwegian: Variere (no)
• Portuguese: variar (pt)
• Spanish: variar (es)
• Swedish: variera (sv)

Noun

vary (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) Alteration; change.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Related terms

• variability
• variable
• variance
• variant
• variation
• varied
• variety
• various

External links

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

Anagrams

• arvy

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Malagasy

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bəʀas, from Proto-Austronesian *bəʀas.

Noun

vary

1. rice ((raw) seeds used as food)