/vair"ee euhnt/ , adj.
1. tending to change or alter; exhibiting variety or diversity; varying: variant shades of color.
2. not agreeing or conforming; differing, esp. from something of the same general kind.
3. not definitive, as a version of part of a text; different; alternative: a variant reading.
4. not universally accepted.
n.
5. a person or thing that varies.
6. a different spelling, pronunciation, or form of the same word: "Vehemency" is a variant of "vehemence."
[ 1325-75; ME variant-, s. of varians, prp. of variare to VARY; see -ANT ]