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VARIABLE.
47
VARIANCE.
not variable in Religion. 16J3 Jas. I in Ellis Lett. Ser. i.
HI. 139 He is in this busienesse .. as variable and unceriaine
as the Moone.
+ C. Liable to alter or iyxm from (or of) a purpose,
etc. Obs,
C1400 Beryn 752 No mervell i^, J^ou^e Rome be som what
variabill Fro honour & fro wele. X4xa-so Lydg. Chron.
Troy IV. 5120 pei wil holde stable, And finally nat be variable
From t)e ende, platly, t>at J?ei make, c 1450 Cffv. Myst.
(Shaks. Soc.) 216 If we fynde hym varyable Of bis prechynge
that he hath tawth. 1493 Petronylla 31 (Pynson),
From hir enient nat founde variable.
3. a. Of the weather, seasons, etc : Liable to
vary in temperature or character ; changeable,
c X480 Henrvsok Test, Cres. 150 The seuin Planetis. .hes
power,. To reulL.Wedder and wind, and coursis variabill.
1631 Gouge God*s Arrows v. § 15. 428 Peace is not like the
immoveable mountaines, but rather like to the variable skie.
172a De Foe Pia^e (Rtldg.) 14 The Weather was temperate,
variable and cool enough. 1797 Etuycl. Brit. (ed. 3)
XVIIi. 493/2 The great sunshine heats of Florence, which
are too variable and undetermined. x8o8 MetL Jml, XIX.
569 The weather.. was very variable, but upon the whole
mild. x8S4 Poultry CAron. I, 288 Exposed entirely to the
vicissitudes of our ever-variable climate.
b. Of wind or currents : Tending to change in
direction ; shifting.
1665 Boyle Occas. Refl, lii. i. (1848) 146 As variable as
the Wind. 1720 De Foe Capt. Singleton xiii. (1840) 229
We had the wind variable. X774 Goldsm. Nat. HisU
1, 340 He who has been Uught to consider that nothing in
the world is so variable as the winds. X832 De la Bkche
GeoL Man. 95 There is a tendency of the surface waters to
the S.E., being variable in winter. X840 R. H. Dana Be/.
Mast XXV. 84 The wind shifted and became variable. 1854
ToMLiHsos A rago*s A sira». 185 Much less regular in the
temperate regions, they are called variable winds.
O, Of a star : That varies periodically in respect
of brightness or magnitude.
1788 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) II. 471/2 mnrg.. Of the variable
stars. X854 Brewster More IVorlds \.y It appears and disappears
like a variable star, shewing m painful succession
its spots of light and of shade. 1880 Agnes Giberne Sun^
Moon ^ Stars 239 There are numbers of stars called Variable
Stars, the light of which is constantly changing, now
becoming more, now becoming less.
d. Bio/. Liable to deviate from a type ; admitting
of such deviation. (Cf. Variation 10.)
1859 Darwin Orig^. Species v. 149 Beings low in the
scale of nature are more variable than those which are
higher. 1877 Conder Basis 0/ Faith v. 231 Species, it haal vary fra vs and fra cure faith. All
j.aire variaunce ware to mykil to tell, c USD lUyrr. oiir
Ladye iti Ve haue not manychaunges (of service] after the
varyaunce of feastes, . .as the comon seruyce of the churche
vseth. 1S70-* Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 221 So is
there variance between written storie, and common speech,
touching the true place of that building. 1605 Camden Rem.
(1623) 36 Words, that in their original! are Laline, and yet
(saue some small variance in their terminations) fall out all
one with the French, Dutch, and English. 1839 Hallam
Hist. Lit. IV. ii. § 12 It is evident that variance of opinion
proves error somewhere. 1846 Landor Imag. Conv. Wks.
I. 243 The variance of knowledge and will, where no passion
is the stimulant. 189a Law Times XCII. 156/1 Whether
variance between the provisional and complete specification
of a patent.. is still a ground of invalidity,
t b. Variety. Obs.-^
01400-50 Alexander 4632 Mckill variaunce of vertus
enveronis cure saules.
3. a. Law. A difference or discrepancy between
two statements or documents.
1419 Rolls oj Parlt. IV. 346 For whiche diversite and
variaunce of the seide name. C1470 Henry Wallace ym.
1736 Thar may na band be maid so sufficians, Bot ay in it