Where does “variability” come from?
Variability comes from variable, from Old French variable, from Latin variāre meaning to change, from Latin varius meaning diverse or different.
variability (English): The state or characteristic of being variable;...
Definitions
- The state or characteristic of being variable;...
Ancestry of “variability”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | variable | Able to vary or be varied; Likely to vary; Marked... |
| 2 | Old French | variable | — |
| 3 | Latin | variāre | — |
| 4 | Latin | varius | diverse, different, various, variegated |
| 5 | Latin | vārus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wer- | to lift up; to moisten; to flow; to raise, hang |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |