Where does “variant” come from?
Variant derives from Latin varians, the present participle of Latin vario, from Latin varius meaning "changing or diverse," formed with the Proto-Italic and Proto-Indo-European masculine nominative singular suffix -ós.
variant (English): Showing variety, diverse; Showing deviation or...
Definitions
- Showing variety, diverse; Showing deviation or...
Ancestry of “variant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | variant | varying; which varies |
| 2 | Latin | variāns | diversifying; variegating |
| 3 | Latin | variō | to diversify, variegate, change, transform, make different or various, alter, vary, interchange |
| 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 |