Where does “variable” come from?
variable (Asturian) comes from Latin variabilis, from Latin variō, from Latin varius, from Latin vārus, from Proto-Indo-European h₂wer-, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
variable (Asturian): variable able to vary
Definitions
- variable able to vary
Ancestry of “variable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | variabilis | variable, changeable |
| 2 | Latin | variō | to diversify, variegate, change, transform, make different or various, alter, vary, interchange |
| 3 | Latin | varius | diverse, different, various, variegated |
| 4 | Latin | vārus | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wer- | to lift up; to moisten; to flow; to raise, hang |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |