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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


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"Variable" Quotes from Famous Books



... 13th, 14th, and 15th of June, the barometer slowly fell, without an attempt to rise in the slightest degree, and the weather became variable, hovering between rain and wind or storm. The breeze strengthened considerably, and changed to south-westerly. It was a head-wind for the Dream, and the waves had now increased enormously, and lifted ...
— Godfrey Morgan - A Californian Mystery • Jules Verne
... scheme, has denied that they are free to vote as faddists; but he still holds that they are free to vote on any basis if only they form one-sixth to one-twelfth of an electorate. Thus the amount of freedom is variable and a matter of opinion. Now, we altogether deny that electors should be given the opportunity to subordinate the national interests to factious interests. Just as the faddist argument is fatal to Mr. Hare's original scheme, so the splitting up into factions is fatal ...
— Proportional Representation Applied To Party Government • T. R. Ashworth and H. P. C. Ashworth
... That is a way you keen lawyers have. Very well; I shall be an honest witness, even against myself. That I wasn't up with the lark this morning goes without saying. The larks that I know much about are on the wing after dinner in the evening. The forenoon is a variable sort of affair with many people. Literally I suppose it ends at 12 M., but with me it is rounded off by lunch, and the time of that event depends largely upon the kitchen divinity that we can lure to this remote and desolate ...
— An Original Belle • E. P. Roe
... funny to take their husbands' hats, put their feet in them, and, thus shod, to run a steeplechase across the room. Meantime Madame de la Roche-Jagan felt the General's pulse frequently, and found it variable. ...
— Serge Panine • Georges Ohnet
... perceive that two-ninths of the atmosphere by weight is a highly magnetic body, subject to great changes in its magnetic character, by variations in its temperature and condensation or rarefaction, without being persuaded that it has much to do with the variable disposition of the magnetic forces upon ...
— The World's Greatest Books - Volume 15 - Science • Various


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