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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Variable quantity

Variable \Va"ri*a*ble\, a. [L. variabilis: cf. F. variable.]

  1. Having the capacity of varying or changing; capable of alternation in any manner; changeable; as, variable winds or seasons; a variable quantity.

  2. Liable to vary; too susceptible of change; mutable; fickle; unsteady; inconstant; as, the affections of men are variable; passions are variable.

    Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
    --Shak.

    His heart, I know, how variable and vain!
    --Milton.

    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, usually in more or less uniform periods.

    Syn: Changeable; mutable; fickle; wavering; unsteady; versatile; inconstant.

WordNet
variable quantity

n. a quantity that can assume any of a set of values [syn: variable]