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variance

[vair-ee-uhns]

Example Sentences Origin

noun

the state, quality, or fact of being variable, divergent, different, or anomalous.

an instance of varying; difference; discrepancy.

Also called mean square deviation. Statistics. the square of the standard deviation.

Physics, Chemistry. the number of degrees of freedom of a system.

Law.

a difference or discrepancy, as between two statements or documents in law that should agree.

a departure from the cause of action originally stated in the complaint.

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an official permit to do something normally forbidden by regulations, especially by building in a way or for a purpose normally forbidden by a zoning law or a building code.

a disagreement, dispute, or quarrel.

COLLAPSE

Idiom

at variance,

(of things) in a state of difference or disagreement.

(of persons) in a state of controversy or dissension: at variance with one's superiors.

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Variance is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

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Origin:
1300–50; Middle English < Latin variantia, equivalent to vari(āre) to vary) + -antia -ance

Related forms

non·var·i·ance, noun

self-var·i·ance, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Variance

Example Sentences

As far as albedo goes, there is wide variance in solar modules.

Variance after variance is given to developers who cry economic hardship and threaten to sue if they can't do as they please.

The town heard his concerns before voting on a variance the restaurant needed to proceed.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

variance (ˈvɛərɪəns)

—n
1.	the act of varying or the quality, state, or degree of being divergent; discrepancy
2.	an instance of diverging; dissension: our variance on this matter should not affect our friendship
3.	at variance
	a. (often foll by with) (of facts, etc) not in accord; conflicting
	b. (of persons) in a state of dissension
4.	statistics a measure of dispersion obtained by taking the mean of the squared deviations of the observed values from their mean in a frequency distribution
5.	a difference or discrepancy between two steps in a legal proceeding, esp between a statement in a pleading and the evidence given to support it
6.	(in the US and Canada) a licence or authority issued by the board of variance to contravene the usual rule, esp to build contrary to the provision of a zoning code
7.	chem the number of degrees of freedom of a system, used in the phase rule
8.	accounting the difference between actual and standard costs of production

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

variance

mid-14c., "fact of undergoing change," from O.Fr. variance, from L. variantia, from variare "to change" (see vary). Meaning "state of disagreement" is recorded from early 15c. The U.S. zoning sense of "official dispensation from a building regulation" is recorded from 1925.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

variance var·i·ance (vâr'ē-əns, vār'-)
n.

The state or quality of being variant or variable; a variation.
The state or fact of differing or of being in conflict.
The square of the standard deviation.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

variance

in statistics, the square of the standard deviation of a sample or set of data, used procedurally to analyze the factors that may influence the distribution or spread of the data under consideration. See mean.

Learn more about variance with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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