Online dictionaryOnline dictionary
Synonyms, antonyms, pronunciation

  Home 		English Dictionary      examples: 'day', 'get rid of', 'New York Bay'




Variable   /vˈɛriəbəl/   Listen
noun
Variable  n.  
1.
That which is variable; that which varies, or is subject to change.
2.
(Math.) A quantity which may increase or decrease; a quantity which admits of an infinite number of values in the same expression; a variable quantity; as, in the equation x^(2) - y^(2) = R^(2), x and y are variables.
3.
(Naut.)
(a)
A shifting wind, or one that varies in force.
(b)
pl. Those parts of the sea where a steady wind is not expected, especially the parts between the trade-wind belts.
Independent variable (Math.), that one of two or more variables, connected with each other in any way whatever, to which changes are supposed to be given at will. Thus, in the equation x^(2) - y^(2) = R^(2), if arbitrary changes are supposed to be given to x, then x is the independent variable, and y is called a function of x. There may be two or more independent variables in an equation or problem. Cf. Dependent variable, under Dependent.


adjective
Variable  adj.  
1.
Having the capacity of varying or changing; capable of alternation in any manner; changeable; as, variable winds or seasons; a variable quantity.
2.
Liable to vary; too susceptible of change; mutable; fickle; unsteady; inconstant; as, the affections of men are variable; passions are variable. "Lest that thy love prove likewise variable." "His heart, I know, how variable and vain!"
Variable exhaust (Steam Eng.), a blast pipe with an adjustable opening.
Variable quantity (Math.), a variable.
Variable-rate mortgage (Finance), a mortgage whose percentage interest rate varies depending on some agreed standard, such as the prime rate; used often in financing the purchase of a home. Such a mortgage usually has a lower initial interest rate than a fixed-rate mortgage, and this permits buyers of a home to finance the purchase a house of higher price than would be possible with a fixed-rate loan.
Variable stars (Astron.), fixed stars which vary in their brightness, usually in more or less uniform periods.
Synonyms: Changeable; mutable; fickle; wavering; unsteady; versatile; inconstant.





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


Advanced search
     Find words:
Starting with
Ending with
Containing
Matching a pattern  

Synonyms
Antonyms
Quotes
Words linked to  

only single words


Share |
Add this dictionary
to your browser search bar




"Variable" Quotes from Famous Books



... surface suitable for wheeled fixed-wing aircraft; no paved runways; 14 locations have snow-surface skiways limited to use by ski-equipped planes-8 runways/skiways greater than 3,000 m, 12 runways/skiways 1,000 to 3,000 m, 2 runways/skiways less than 1,000 m, and 5 of unspecified or variable length; airports generally subject to severe restrictions and limitations resulting from extreme seasonal and geographic conditions; airports do not meet ICAO standards; advance approval from the respective governmental or nongovernmental ...
— The 1998 CIA World Factbook • United States. Central Intelligence Agency.
... consonant represents always, in variable words, quality, person, mode or time. The radical, on the contrary, represents the ...
— Delsarte System of Oratory • Various
... comparatively useless to man—a value higher than any other commodity which the people could offer their civilized customers; and as the reverence for the great burning orb of the sun, master of all the manifestations of nature, was tenfold as great as the veneration for the smaller, weaker, and variable goddess of the night, so was the demand for the metal sacred to the sun ten times as great as for the metal sacred to the moon. This view is confirmed by the fact that the root of the word by which ...
— The Antediluvian World • Ignatius Donnelly
... Lower Nubra consist of the valleys of the Nubra and Shayok rivers. These are deep, fierce, variable streams, which have buried the lower levels under great stretches of shingle, patched with jungles of hippophae and tamarisk, affording cover for innumerable wolves. Great lateral torrents descend to these rivers, and on alluvial ridges formed at the junctions are the villages with their ...
— Among the Tibetans • Isabella L. Bird (Mrs Bishop)
... the question of materials cannot be separated. A shed even of the dimensions given consumes a lot of wood, and the last, that it may withstand our variable and treacherous climate for a good number of years, should, as regards those parts directly exposed to the weather, be of good quality. Yellow deal may be selected for the boards; pitch pine is better, but ...
— Things To Make • Archibald Williams


More quotes...


Copyright © 2025 Dictionary One.com