Variant

Pronunciation

• enPR: vâr'Ä“-É™nt, IPA: /ˈvɛɹiÉ™nt/

Alternative forms

• variaunt obsolete

Origin

Recorded since c.1380, from Old French variant, from Latin variāns, the present active participle of variō ("to change").

Full definition of variant

Adjective

1. Showing variety, diverse.
2. Showing deviation or disagreement.
3. (obsolete) Variable.

Noun

1. Something that is slightly different from a type or norm.All breeds of dog are variants of the species “Canis lupus familiaris”.The word "kerosine" is a variant of “kerosene”.
2. (genetics) A different sequence of a gene (locus).
3. (computing) A variable that can hold any of various unrelated data types.

Related terms

• variance
• variation
• vary