Result from Foreign Dictionaries (4 entries found)

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: 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. [1913 Webster] 2. Liable to vary; too susceptible of change; mutable; fickle; unsteady; inconstant; as, the affections of men are variable; passions are variable. [1913 Webster] Lest that thy love prove likewise variable. --Shak. [1913 Webster] His heart, I know, how variable and vain! --Milton. [1913 Webster] {Variable exhaust} (Steam Eng.), a blast pipe with an adjustable opening. {Variable quantity} (Math.), a variable. {Variable-rate mortgage} (Finance), a mortgage whose percentage interest rate varies depending on some agreed standard, such as the prime rate; -- used often in financing the purchase of a home. Such a mortgage usually has a lower initial interest rate than a {fixed-rate mortgage}, and this permits buyers of a home to finance the purchase a house of higher price than would be possible with a fixed-rate loan. {Variable stars} (Astron.), fixed stars which vary in their brightness, usually in more or less uniform periods. [1913 Webster] Syn: Changeable; mutable; fickle; wavering; unsteady; versatile; inconstant. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Variable \Va"ri*a*ble\, n. 1. That which is variable; that which varies, or is subject to change. [1913 Webster] 2. (Math.) A quantity which may increase or decrease; a quantity which admits of an infinite number of values in the same expression; a variable quantity; as, in the equation x^{2} - y^{2} = R^{2}, x and y are variables. [1913 Webster] 3. (Naut.) (a) A shifting wind, or one that varies in force. (b) pl. Those parts of the sea where a steady wind is not expected, especially the parts between the trade-wind belts. [1913 Webster] {Independent variable} (Math.), that one of two or more variables, connected with each other in any way whatever, to which changes are supposed to be given at will. Thus, in the equation x^{2} - y^{2} = R^{2}, if arbitrary changes are supposed to be given to x, then x is the independent variable, and y is called a function of x. There may be two or more independent variables in an equation or problem. Cf. {Dependent variable}, under {Dependent}. [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: variable adj 1: liable to or capable of change; "rainfall in the tropics is notoriously variable"; "variable winds"; "variable expenses" [ant: {invariable}] 2: marked by diversity or difference; "the varying angles of roof slope"; "nature is infinitely variable" [syn: {varying}, {variable}] 3: (used of a device) designed so that a property (as e.g. light) can be varied; "a variable capacitor"; "variable filters in front of the mercury xenon lights" n 1: something that is likely to vary; something that is subject to variation; "the weather is one variable to be considered" 2: a quantity that can assume any of a set of values [syn: {variable}, {variable quantity}] 3: a star that varies noticeably in brightness [syn: {variable star}, {variable}] 4: a symbol (like x or y) that is used in mathematical or logical expressions to represent a variable quantity From German-English FreeDict Dictionary ver. 0.3.3 [fd-deu-eng]: Variable /variːaːblə/ variable