variantia

Forms

variantia f (genitive variantiae); first declension.^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin variāns (“varying”) + -ia,^[1] from the present participle of variō (“to vary”),^[2][3] which is formed from varius (“various”).^[4] De Vaan finds no convincing origin for varius.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Lucretius,^[3] who uses it of the diversity of things.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

L&S call it Lucretian, beside the usual varietās and vicissitūdō.^[2] It meant diversity or variety.^[1][2]

In medieval British Latin it meant a divergence or disagreement, as between two statements in a lawsuit.^[6]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius writes of the diversity of things.^[2][5][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. Diversity, variety.^[1][2]
2. (Medieval Latin) A divergence, disagreement.^[6]

Related words

• varietas

References

1. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press