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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

2 entries under this word

Variable

Vā'ri-a-ble, a.

adjective

a. [Fr., Pr., & Sp. variable, Pg. variavel, It. variabile, Lat. variabilis.]

  1. Having the capacity of varying or changing; capable of alteration in any manner; changeable; as, variable winds or seasons; variable colors.
  2. Over-susceptible of change; liable to change; mutable; fickle; unsteady; inconstant; as, the affections of men are variable; passions are variable.

Thy love proves likewise variable. Shak. His heart I know, how variable and vain! Milton. 3. (Bot.) Having the same organs different in form in different parts, as in the case of leaves.

Variable cut-off. See EXPANSION-GEAR. — Variable exhaust (Steam-eng.), a blast-pipe with an adjustable opening. — Variable quantity (Math.), a variable. — Variable stars (Astron.), fixed stars which vary in their brightness periodically.

Synonyms— Changeable; mutable; fickle; wavering; unsteady; versatile; inconstant.

Vā'ri-a-ble, n.

noun

n. 1. (Math.) A quantity which may increase or decrease; a quantity which admits of an infinite number of values in the same expression; thus, in the equation x² − y² = R², x and y are variables. 2. (Naut.) A shifting trade-wind.