Meaning

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

• A related but distinct thing.

  "All of his soups are variations on a single recipe."

• The angular difference at the vessel between the direction of true north and magnetic north.

• A line of play that differs from the original.

• 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.

• The modification of a hereditary trait.

• Deviation from the mean orbit of a heavenly body.