n. 1 the act or an instance of varying. 2 departure from a former or normal condition, action, or amount, or from a standard or type (prices are subject to variation). 3 the extent of this. 4 a thing that varies from a type. 5 Mus. a repetition (usu. one of several) of a theme in a changed or elaborated form. 6 Astron. a deviation of a heavenly body from its mean orbit or motion. 7 Math. a change in a function etc. due to small changes in the values of constants etc. 8 Ballet a solo dance. variational adj.
[ ME f. OF variation or L variatio (as VARY) ]