喜樂美語

Think of a needle on a dial that will not settle — it drifts up, drops back, moves again. The thing is not fixed at one value; it is the kind of thing that takes different values.

一根不肯停下來的指針：溫度計、風速表、油價的線——它往上飄一點，又掉回來，再動一次。這個字講的不是「現在是多少」，而是「這種東西本來就會落在不同的數值上」。所以它同時帶著兩種味道：一種是你無法預測（風向多變），一種是它可以被調到不同位置（火力可調）——兩者共用同一個畫面，差別只在動的是它自己，還是你在動它。

From the word’s history

From Latin variare 'to change', from varius 'diverse, spotted, various', plus -able: 'able to vary'. The -able ending is why the word names a capacity, not an event — something that can take different values, whether or not it is changing right now.

這個字是 vary（變化，源自拉丁文 variare「使不同」、varius「各種各樣的」）加上 -able（能夠…的）。關鍵在 -able 這個尾巴：它說的是一種「能力」而不是一件正在發生的事。所以 variable 不是「正在變」，而是「屬於會變、能變的那一類」——這正好解釋了為什麼它既可以形容捉摸不定的天氣，也可以形容一個你自己轉得動的旋鈕。

Wiktionary (variable: Middle English, from Old French variable, from Latin variabilis / variare, from varius)

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

容易混在一起的字在訂閱裡。容易混在一起的字需要訂閱帳號。

同家族的字

a比較級 more variable最高級 most variable

n複數 variables

原始詞典資料13 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

variableadj[ˈvɛə.ɹi.ə.bl̩]

  • 1

    Able to vary or be varied.

    • variable winds or seasons; a variable quantity; a variable resistor
  • 2

    Likely to vary.

    • Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
  • 3

    Marked by diversity or difference.

  • 4

    mathematicssciencesHaving no fixed quantitative value.

  • 5

    biologynatural-sciencesTending to deviate from a normal or recognized type.

variablenoun[ˈvɛə.ɹi.ə.bl̩]

  • 1

    Something that is variable.

  • 2

    Something whose value may be dictated or discovered.

    • There are several variables to consider here.
    • Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents.
  • 3

    mathematicssciencesA quantity that may assume any one of a set of values.

  • 4

    mathematicssciencesA symbol representing a variable.

  • 5

    computingengineeringmathematicsA named memory location in which a program can store intermediate results and from which it can read them.

  • 6

    astronomynatural-sciencesA variable star.

  • 7

    nauticaltransportA shifting wind, or one that varies in force.

  • 8

    nauticaltransportThose parts of the sea where a steady wind is not expected, especially the parts between the trade-wind belts.

摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。