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variety

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
va·ri·e·ty  (v-r-t)
n. pl. va·ri·e·ties
1. The quality or condition of being various or varied; diversity.
2. A number or collection of varied things, especially of a particular group; an assortment: brought home a variety of snacks.
3. A group that is distinguished from other groups by a specific characteristic or set of characteristics.
4. Biology
a. A taxonomic subdivision of a species consisting of naturally occurring or selectively bred populations or individuals that differ from the remainder of the species in certain minor characteristics.
b. An organism, especially a plant, belonging to such a subdivision.
5. A variety show.

[French variété, from Old French, from Latin variets, variett-, from varius, various.]

variety [vəˈraɪɪtɪ]
n pl -ties
1. the quality or condition of being diversified or various
2. a collection of unlike things, esp of the same general group; assortment
3. a different form or kind within a general category; sort varieties of behaviour
4. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology)
a.  Taxonomy a race whose distinct characters are insufficient to justify classification as a separate species; a subspecies
b.  Horticulture stockbreeding a strain of animal or plant produced by artificial breeding
5. (Performing Arts / Theatre)
a.  entertainment consisting of a series of short unrelated performances or acts, such as comedy turns, songs, dances, sketches, etc.
b.  (as modifier) a variety show
[from Latin varietās, from various]

Variety a number or collection of different things. See also miscellany.
Examples: variety of discourse, 1757; of goods, 1708; of movements, 1851; of pleasant orchards and gardens, 1680; of pleasures, 1553; of prospects, 1718; of readers, 1623; of simpler scenes, 1798; of temporary blessings, 1623; of vices, 1891.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.varietyvariety - a collection containing a variety of sorts of things; "a great assortment of cars was on display"; "he had a variety of disorders"; "a veritable smorgasbord of religions"
aggregation, collection, accumulation, assemblage - several things grouped together or considered as a whole
grab bag - an assortment of miscellaneous items
witch's brew, witches' brew, witches' broth - a fearsome mixture; "a witches' brew of gangsters and terrorists"; "mixing dope and alcohol creates a witches' brew"
range - a variety of different things or activities; "he answered a range of questions"; "he was impressed by the range and diversity of the collection"
selection - an assortment of things from which a choice can be made; "the store carried a large selection of shoes"
alphabet soup - a confusing assortment; "Roosevelt created an alphabet soup of federal agencies"
sampler - an assortment of various samples; "a candy sampler"; "a sampler of French poets"
2.varietyvariety - noticeable heterogeneity; "a diversity of possibilities"; "the range and variety of his work is amazing"
heterogeneity, heterogeneousness - the quality of being diverse and not comparable in kind
biodiversity - the diversity of plant and animal life in a particular habitat (or in the world as a whole); "a high level of biodiversity is desirable"
3.variety - (biology) a taxonomic category consisting of members of a species that differ from others of the same species in minor but heritable characteristics; "varieties are frequently recognized in botany"
biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms
taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group - animal or plant group having natural relations
breed, strain, stock - a special variety of domesticated animals within a species; "he experimented on a particular breed of white rats"; "he created a new strain of sheep"
species - (biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed
cultivar - a variety of a plant developed from a natural species and maintained under cultivation
4.varietyvariety - a show consisting of a series of short unrelated performances
show - a social event involving a public performance or entertainment; "they wanted to see some of the shows on Broadway"
minstrel show - a variety show in which the performers are made up in blackface
revue, review - a variety show with topical sketches and songs and dancing and comedians
vaudeville, music hall - a variety show with songs and comic acts etc.
5.varietyvariety - a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality; "sculpture is a form of art"; "what kinds of desserts are there?"
category - a general concept that marks divisions or coordinations in a conceptual scheme
description - sort or variety; "every description of book was there"
type - a subdivision of a particular kind of thing; "what type of sculpture do you prefer?"
antitype - an opposite or contrasting type
art form - (architecture) a form of artistic expression (such as writing or painting or architecture)
style - a particular kind (as to appearance); "this style of shoe is in demand"
flavour, flavor - (physics) the six kinds of quarks
colour, color - (physics) the characteristic of quarks that determines their role in the strong interaction; "each flavor of quarks comes in three colors"
species - a specific kind of something; "a species of molecule"; "a species of villainy"
genus - a general kind of something; "ignore the genus communism"
make, brand - a recognizable kind; "there's a new brand of hero in the movies now"; "what make of car is that?"
genre - a kind of literary or artistic work
ilk, like - a kind of person; "We'll not see his like again"; "I can't tolerate people of his ilk"
manner - a kind; "what manner of man are you?"
model - a type of product; "his car was an old model"
stripe - a kind or category; "businessmen of every stripe joined in opposition to the proposal"
like, the like, the likes of - a similar kind; "dogs, foxes, and the like", "we don't want the likes of you around here"
6.varietyvariety - a difference that is usually pleasant; "he goes to France for variety"; "it is a refreshing change to meet a woman mechanic"
difference - the quality of being unlike or dissimilar; "there are many differences between jazz and rock"

variety
noun
1. diversity, change, variation, difference, diversification, heterogeneity, many-sidedness, multifariousness people who like variety in their lives and enjoy trying new things
diversity similarity, uniformity, monotony, homogeneity, similitude, invariability
3. type, sort, kind, make, order, class, brand, species, breed, strain, category She grows 12 varieties of old-fashioned roses.
Quotations
"Variety's the very spice of life,"
"That gives all its flavour" [William Cowper The Task]
Proverbs
"Different strokes for different folks"
Translations
variety [vəˈraɪətɪ]
A. N (gen) → variedad f; (= range, diversity) → diversidad f (Comm) [of stock] → surtido m
he likes a variety of foodle gustan diversas comidas
a variety of opinions was expressedse expresaron diversas opiniones
it comes in a variety of colourslo hay en varios colores or de diversos colores
for a variety of reasonspor varias or diversas razones
in a variety of waysde diversas maneras
for varietypor variar
to lend variety to sthdar variedad a algo
variety is the spice of lifeen la variedad está el gusto
B. CPD variety artist Nartista mf de variedades
variety show Nespectáculo m de variedades
variety store N (US) → bazar m (tienda barata que vende de todo)
variety theatre Nteatro m de variedades

variety [vəˈraɪəti] n
(= diversity) → variété f
Susan liked to have variety in her lifestyle → Susan aimait avoir de la variété dans son style de vie.
(= range) a variety of sth → divers qch
She ordered a variety of books → Elle a commandé divers livres.
a wide variety of sth → une grande variété de qch
There is a wide variety of restaurants → Il y a une grande variété de restaurants.
for a variety of reasons → pour diverses raisons
(= kind) → variété f
They have three varieties of whisky → Ils ont trois variétés de whisky.
variety show nspectacle m de variétés

variety
n
(= diversity)Abwechslung f; to add variety to somethingAbwechslung in etw (acc)bringen; a job with a lot of varietyeine sehr abwechslungsreiche Arbeit; variety is the spice of life (prov) → öfter mal was Neues (inf)
(= assortment)Vielfalt f; (Comm) → Auswahl f (→ of an +dat); that’s quite a variety for one companydas ist ein ziemlich breites Spektrum für eine (einzige) Firma; I have seen him in a variety of different moodsich habe ihn in einer Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Stimmungen erlebt; in a great variety of waysauf die verschiedensten Arten pl; in a variety of colours (Brit) or colors (US) → in den verschiedensten Farben pl; for a variety of reasonsaus verschiedenen or mehreren Gründen; for a great variety of reasonsaus vielen verschiedenen Gründen; a wide variety of birdseine große Vielfalt an Vogelarten, viele verschiedene Vogelarten; you meet a great variety of people at this hotelin diesem Hotel können Sie die verschiedensten Leute treffen
(Biol, Bot: = species) → Art f, → Varietät f (spec)
(= type)Art f; (of cigarette, potato)Sorte f; (of chair)Modell nt; a new variety of tulip/potatoeine neue Tulpen-/Kartoffelsorte
(esp Brit Theat) → Varieté nt, → Varietee nt

variety:
variety act
nVarieté- or Varieteenummer f
variety artist
nVarieté- or Varieteekünstler(in) m(f)
variety show
n (Theat) → Varieté- or Varieteevorführung f; (TV) → Fernsehshow f; (Rad, TV) → Unterhaltungssendung f
variety theatre, (US) variety theater
nVarieté- or Varieteetheater nt

variety [vəˈraɪətɪ] n (type) → varietà f inv, tipo; (range, diversity) → molteplicità, varietà
in a wide or large variety of colours → in una vasta gamma di colori
for a variety of reasons → per una serie di motivi
for variety → per variare
variety [vəˈraɪətɪ] n (type) → varietà f inv, tipo; (range, diversity) → molteplicità, varietà
in a wide or large variety of colours → in una vasta gamma di colori
for a variety of reasons → per una serie di motivi
for variety → per variare

variety
n variety [vəˈraiəti]
1 the quality of being of many different kinds or of being varied There's a great deal of variety in this job. verskeidenheid تَنَوُّع، أشكال متنوِّعَه разнобразие změna afveksling die Abwechslung ποικιλία variedad mitmekesisus, vaheldus تنوع vaihtelevuus variété מִגווַן विविधता raznovrsnost változat(osság) variasi fjölbreytni varietà 多様性 다양성 įvairovė dažādība; daudzveidība keragaman verscheidenheid, afwisseling forskjellighet; avveksling, variasjon urozmaicenie variedade varietate разнообразие zmena raznolikost varijetet variation ประเภท ชนิด หรือลักษณะ çeşitlilik 多樣化 різноманітність تنوع sự đa dạng
2 a mixed collection or range The children got a variety of toys on their birthdays. verskeie تَشْكيلَه، مَجموعَة مُشَكَّلَه множество pestrý výběr mange forskellige die Vielfalt ποικιλία surtido, variedad (de) mitmekesine valik انواع مختلف valikoima grand choix (de) מִגווַן अनेक प्रकार mnoštvo, raznolikost választék koleksi samsafn varietà 取り合わせ 여러 가지 잡동사니 daugybė įvairiausių daudzums; milzums berbagai-bagai, berjenis-jenis, bermacam-macam, pelbagai assortiment mangfold rozmaitość, róźnorodność variedade mulţime (de) множество pestrý výber izbor raznolikost mängd olika ประเภท ชนิด หรือลักษณะ çeşit çeşit, (bir) yığın 多種,各式各樣 ряд, низка مختلف قسم سے nhiều thứ
3 a sort or kind They grow fourteen different varieties of rose. variëteit صِنْف разновидност odrůda variant die Spielart ποικιλία, είδος variedad sort نوع laji variété סוּג विविध मनोरंजन varijanta, podvrsta fajta varietas tegund varietà 種類 종류 atmaina varietāte; pasuga jenis vari{#225}{#137}{#225}teit slag, type, art, sort odmiana variedade soi, specie разновидность odroda, sorta vrsta vrsta sort, slag, typ ความหลากหลาย çeşit, tür 種類 сорт; вид قسم، نوع thứ, loại
4 a type of mixed theatrical entertainment including dances, songs, short sketches etc I much prefer operas to variety; (also adjective ) a variety show. gemengde vertoning مُنَوَّعات مَسْرَحِيَّه вариете varieté; varietní varieté; varieté- das Variete'; Variete'... βαριετέ (espectáculo de) variedades varietee واریته varietee (de) variétés וַריֶטֶה विविध मनोरंजन variete varieté kabaret blandaður skemmtiþáttur/-sÿning varietà; di varietà 寄席演芸 버라이어티쇼, 연예 varjetė varietē pertunjukan aneka ragam vari{#225}{#130}{#225}t{#225}{#130}{#225} revy, varieté vari\'et\'es variedade (de) varietăţi варьете varieté; varietný variete varijete varieté ประเภท varyete 聯合演出,綜藝節目 театр-вар'єте; естрада رنگا رنگ پروگرام chương trình tạp kỹ

variety تنوع rozmanitost variation Vielfalt ποικιλία variedad vaihtelu variété raznolikost varietà 多様性 다양성 variëteit variasjon rozmaitość variedade разнообразие ombyte ประเภทต่างๆ çeşit sự đa dạng 多样性


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
We have made our readers acquainted with some variety in character and nations, in introducing the most important personages of this legend to their notice; but, in order to establish the fidelity of our narrative, we shall briefly attempt to explain the reason why we have been obliged to present so motley a dramatis personae.
Who was Born in Newgate, and during a Life of continu'd Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother), Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv'd Honest, and dies a Penitent.
Extend the sphere, and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests; you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens; or if such a common motive exists, it will be more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison with each other.
 
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