Variety

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /vəˈɹaɪ.ɪ.ti/

Definitions

1. A collection of differing types or categories within a group
2. A selection of multiple forms or variations that can be found in a specific setting
3. A diverse collection of different kinds or categories ; a specific breed or strain of plant or animal raised for distinct characteristics ; a style of show featuring a mix of performances such as music, comedy, and dance

Etymology: The word "variety" reached English through Middle French "varieté" (modern French "variété"), which in turn came from Latin "varietās," meaning "difference" or "diversity." The Latin noun was built from "varius," meaning "different, diverse, variegated," with the abstract suffix "-tās" that forms feminine nouns indicating a state of being. English then added its own "-ty" suffix, which also makes abstract nouns, and the surface shape of the word reflects this layering of "various" with "-ety." English did not always use this word for the idea. It displaced the native Old English "mislīcnes," a term built on the sense of differing forms or appearances, and the Latin-derived borrowing took its place over time. The most striking later development came in 1956, when the English psychiatrist William Ross Ashby, in "An Introduction to Cybernetics," gave the word a precise technical meaning. He used it for the total number of distinct states a system can take, and for the logarithm to base 2 of that number, so a general word for diversity became a measurable quantity in information theory and systems science.

Synonyms: diversity, assortment, selection, multiplicity, range

Antonyms: uniformity, sameness, monotony, similarity, consistency