Etymograph

English

variation

Variation comes from Latin variātiō ‘difference, divergence, variation’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Italic *wasios.

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wasios1uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvarius1‘diverse, various, variegated’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvariō2
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvariātiō3‘difference, divergence, variation’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400variacion3
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600variation3
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2013variation3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin vario
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin variatio
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English variation
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, -June, Wild Plants to the Rescue: “Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]The wild species…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wasiosWiktionary, Latin variouncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvariusWiktionary, Latin vario‘diverse, various, variegated’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvariōWiktionary, Latin variatio
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvariātiōWiktionary, English variation‘difference, divergence, variation’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400variacionWiktionary, English variation
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600variationWiktionary, English variation
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2013variationWiktionary, English variation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, -June, Wild Plants to the Rescue: “Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]The wild species…”

Linked words

through Latin varius ‘diverse, various, variegated’

various, variety, varicella, 11 more

through Latin variō

vary, 1 more

Today it means

noun The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “variation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin vario, Latin variatio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Italic *wasios / variation

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