Skip to content

variation

variation, change

noun vah-ryah-SYOHN Rare

Origin: Latin variatio, from variare (to vary)

Usage Note

Variation spans musical, scientific, and everyday uses: musical variations on a theme (variations sur un thème), climate variation, or any change in degree. In French music, des variations (plural) specifically refers to a theme-and-variations composition. The related verb is varier and the adjective variable.

Examples

"Des variations de température sont prévues."

Natural Translation

Temperature variations are expected.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic