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# variable

adjective (variable); noun (a variable, variables)

«variable» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (adjective) Changing often or able to change: variable weather. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/#m1)
2. (noun, maths) A letter or symbol, such as x or n, that stands for a number we do not know or that can change. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/#m2)
3. (noun, science) Something that can change in an experiment, such as temperature or time. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/#m3)

### In the lessons

In maths: «Let n be the number of apples» – n is the variable. In science: a fair test changes one variable and keeps the others the same. In everyday life: variable weather, variable prices. Phrases: «independent variable», «keep variables the same».

### Examples

- In 3 + x = 10, x is the variable, and x = 7. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/#x1)
- The weather in spring is variable. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/#x2)
- In our test, the only variable we changed was the amount of water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/#x3)
- Keep every other variable the same for a fair test. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/#x4)
- The price of fruit is variable through the year. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/#x5)
- The heater has a variable setting from low to high. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/#x6)
- Author's archaic and variable spelling and hyphenation is preserved. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/#x7)

### Note

Plural variables. In maths a variable is usually a letter in italics. In a fair test: change one variable, measure another, keep the rest the same. Opposite of the adjective: constant, fixed.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «variable» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/V/variable/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«variable» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/variable.html) on Mova free.