variation

1. (nautical) The angular difference at the vessel between the direction of true north and magnetic north.Synonyms: magnetic declinationuncountableusually

2. (board games) A line of play that differs from the original.uncountableusually

3. (music) A technique where material is repeated with alterations to the melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture, counterpoint or orchestration; but with some invariant characteristic, e.g. a ground bass.uncountableusually

4. (genetics) The modification of a hereditary trait.uncountableusually

5. (astronomy) Deviation from the mean orbit of a heavenly body.uncountableusually

6. (linguistics) The situation where two or more linguistic forms appear in the same environment without a change in meaning, the choice of form being determined by factors of dialect, sociolect, register or simply the speaker's preference.uncountableusually