What is "variety"

Variety \Va*ri"e*ty\, n.; pl. Varieties. [L. varietas: cf. F. vari['e]t['e]. See Various.]

1. The quality or state of being various; intermixture or succession of different things; diversity; multifariousness.

   Variety is nothing else but a continued novelty.
   --South.

   The variety of colors depends upon the composition of light.
   --Sir I. Newton.

   For earth this variety from heaven.
   --Milton.

   There is a variety in the tempers of good men.
   --Atterbury.

2. That which is various. Specifically:

   1. A number or collection of different things; a varied assortment; as, a variety of cottons and silks.

      He . . . wants more time to do that variety of good which his soul thirsts after.
      --Law.

   2. Something varying or differing from others of the same general kind; one of a number of things that are akin; a sort; as, varieties of wood, land, rocks, etc.

   3. (Biol.) An individual, or group of individuals, of a species differing from the rest in some one or more of the characteristics typical of the species, and capable either of perpetuating itself for a period, or of being perpetuated by artificial means; hence, a subdivision, or peculiar form, of a species.

      Note: Varieties usually differ from species in that any two, however unlike, will generally propagate indefinitely (unless they are in their nature unfertile, as some varieties of rose and other cultivated plants); in being a result of climate, food, or other extrinsic conditions or influences, but generally by a sudden, rather than a gradual, development; and in tending in many cases to lose their distinctive peculiarities when the individuals are left to a state of nature, and especially if restored to the conditions that are natural to typical individuals of the species. Many varieties of domesticated animals and of cultivated plants have been directly produced by man.

   4. In inorganic nature, one of those forms in which a species may occur, which differ in minor characteristics of structure, color, purity of composition, etc.

      Note: These may be viewed as variations from the typical species in its most perfect and purest form, or, as is more commonly the case, all the forms, including the latter, may rank as Varieties. Thus, the sapphire is a blue variety, and the ruby a red variety, of corundum; again, calcite has many Varieties differing in form and structure, as Iceland spar, dogtooth spar, satin spar, and also others characterized by the presence of small quantities of magnesia, iron, manganese, etc. Still again, there are Varieties of granite differing in structure, as graphic granite, porphyritic granite, and other Varieties differing in composition, as albitic granite, hornblendic, or syenitic, granite, etc.

3. (Theaters) Such entertainment as in given in variety shows; the production of, or performance in, variety shows. [Cant]

   Geographical variety (Biol.), a variety of any species which is coincident with a geographical region, and is usually dependent upon, or caused by, peculiarities of climate.

   Variety hybrid (Biol.), a cross between two individuals of different varieties of the same species; a mongrel.

   Syn: Diversity; difference; kind.

   Usage: Variety, Diversity. A man has a variety of employments when he does many things which are not a mere repetition of the same act; he has a diversity of employments when the several acts performed are unlike each other, that is, diverse. In most cases, where there is variety there will be more or less of diversity, but not always. One who sells railroad tickets performs a great variety of acts in a day, while there is but little diversity in his employment.

   All sorts are here that all the earth yields! Variety without end.
   --Milton.

   But see in all corporeal nature's scene, What changes, what diversities, have been!
   --Blackmore.

1530s, "change of fortunes," from Middle French variété and directly from Latin varietatem (nominative varietas) "difference, diversity; a kind, variety, species, sort," from varius "various" (see vary). Meaning diversity, absence of monotony" is from 1540s; that of "collection of different things" is from 1550s; sense of "something different from others" is from 1610s. In reference to music hall or theatrical performances of a mixed nature, first recorded 1868, American English.

n. 1 The quality of being varied; diversity. 2 A specific variation of something. 3 A number of different things.

1. n. a collection containing a variety of sorts of things; "a great assortment of cars was on display"; "he had a variety of disorders"; "a veritable smorgasbord of religions" [syn: assortment, mixture, mixed bag, miscellany, miscellanea, salmagundi, smorgasbord, potpourri, motley]

2. noticeable heterogeneity; "a diversity of possibilities"; "the range and variety of his work is amazing" [syn: diverseness, diversity, multifariousness]

3. (biology) a taxonomic category consisting of members of a species that differe from others of the same species in minor but heritable characteristics; "varieties are frequently recognized in botany"

4. a show consisting of a series of short unrelated performances [syn: variety show]

5. a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality; "sculpture is a form of art"; "what kinds of desserts are there?" [syn: kind, sort, form]

6. a difference that is usually pleasant; "he goes to France for variety"; "it is a refreshing change to meet a woman mechanic" [syn: change]

Variety may refer to:

In botanical nomenclature, variety (abbreviated var.; in ) is a taxonomic rank below that of species and subspecies but above that of form. As such, it gets a three-part infraspecific name. It is sometimes recommended that the subspecies rank should be used to recognize geographic distinctiveness, whereas the variety rank is appropriate if the taxon is seen throughout the geographic range of the species.

In cybernetics, the term variety denotes the total number of distinct states of a system.

, a.k.a. Goraku is the third studio album by Japanese band Tokyo Jihen, released on September 26, 2007 in Japan through EMI Music Japan and Virgin Music. The album was produced by the band and Japanese recording engineer Uni Inoue. The album contains thirteen tracks and has spawned two singles. The lead single, "O.S.C.A.", was released in July 11, 2007. "Killer-tune" followed as the second single in August 22, 2007.

Variéty is the seventh and last studio album by Les Rita Mitsouko. An English-language version of the album was produced for the international English speaking market under the modified title of Variety. The French-language version reached #5 on the French Albums chart, while the English recording peaked at #163.

In sociolinguistics a variety, also called a lect, is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, registers, styles or other forms of language, as well as a standard variety. The use of the word "variety" to refer to the different forms avoids the use of the term language, which many people associate only with the standard language, and the term dialect, which is often associated with non-standard varieties thought of as less prestigious or "correct" than the standard. Linguists speak of both standard and non-standard varieties. "Lect" avoids the problem in ambiguous cases of deciding whether or not two varieties are distinct languages or dialects of a single language.

Variation at the level of the lexicon, such as slang and argot, is often considered in relation to particular styles or levels of formality (also called registers), but such uses are sometimes discussed as varieties as well.

In mathematics, specifically universal algebra, a variety of algebras is the class of all algebraic structures of a given signature satisfying a given set of identities. Equivalently, a variety is a class of algebraic structures of the same signature that is closed under the taking of homomorphic images, subalgebras and (direct) products. In the context of category theory, a variety of algebras is usually called a finitary algebraic category.

A covariety is the class of all coalgebraic structures of a given signature.

A variety of algebras should not be confused with an algebraic variety. Intuitively, a variety of algebras is an equationally defined collection of algebras, while an algebraic variety is an equationally defined collection of elements from a single algebra. The two are named alike by analogy, but they are formally quite distinct and their theories have little in common.

Variety ( , also known by the alternative titles Jealousy or Vaudeville) is a 1925 silent drama film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont based on the novel Der Eid des Stephan Huller (1923) by Felix Hollaender. Jannings portrays "Boss Huller," an ex-trapeze artist who runs a seedy carnival with his wife (Maly Delschaft) and child. Huller insists that the family take in a beautiful stranger ( Lya De Putti) as a new sideshow dancer, with whom he develops a new trapeze number. The trapeze scenes are set in the Berlin Wintergarten theatre. The camera swings from long shot to close-up, like the acrobats.

Variety is a 1935 British musical film directed by Adrian Brunel and starring George Carney, Barry Livesey, Sam Livesey. The film follows a revue show format, with a number of performers playing themselves. It was made at Cricklewood Studios.

Variety is the tenth album by Family Fodder and was released by London indie label The state51 Conspiracy in July 2013.

Variety'' (Spanish:Varietés'') is a 1971 Spanish drama film directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and starring Sara Montiel, Vicente Parra and Chris Avram.

Variety is a radio format that plays music across numerous genres. Freeform variety is associated with a wide range of programming including talk, sports, and music from a wide spectrum. This format is usually found on smaller, non-commercial public-broadcasting stations such as college radio, community radio or high school radio stations. If a variety formatted station has a program director, that person exerts little if any influence on the music or other programming choices beyond the normal regulatory control required by that country's licensing regulations.

Variety is also associated with full-service radio. This format is primarily found in the rural United States, on commercial AM stations, and on a few FM public radio stations (usually those that play jazz). These stations tend to favor older listeners and play a mix of music that focuses more on older mainstream music, although much broader than the typical suburban oldies or classic hits station; a full-service station will often play music from the adult standards, classic country, adult contemporary or ethnic formats as well. Full-service radio also regularly includes room for local news and talk.

Hot Adult Contemporary and similarly formatted stations often brand with "mix" and "variety" to demonstrate the fact that they play music from several decades (usually from the 1980s to the present). However, these stations have much more restrictive playlists than true variety stations such as those in the freeform and full-service categories. An example is WBNW-FM in Binghamton, NY or www.varietyradio.co.uk. The phrase "variety hits" is a synonym for the adult hits format (typified by the "Male First Name FM" branding), which indeed usually has a larger variety than a typical hot AC station.

Category:Radio formats

Variety is a weekly American entertainment trade magazine and website owned by Penske Media Corporation. It was founded by Sime Silverman in New York in 1905 as a weekly; in 1933 it added Daily Variety, based in Los Angeles, to cover the motion-picture industry; in 1998 it brought out Daily Variety Gotham, based in New York. Variety.com features breaking entertainment news, reviews, box office results, cover stories, videos, photo galleries and more, plus a credits database, production charts and calendar, with archive content dating back to 1905. The last daily printed edition was put out on March 19, 2013. Variety magazine originally reported on theater and vaudeville.