English
vary
Vary comes from Latin variō ‘to change, alter, make different’, and goes back to varius.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvarius‘different, various’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvariō‘to change, alter, make different’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400varier
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500varien
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606vary
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvarius‘different, various’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvariō‘to change, alter, make different’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400varier
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500varien
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606vary
Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “With euery gall, and varry of their Masters”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- ‘to be/become empty’
want, waste, vacation, vast, void, vacant, vanity, vain, evacuate, vanish, waning, vacate, wane, vacuous, evanescent, 26 more
through Latin varius ‘different, various’
various, variety, variable, varicella, 9 more
through Latin variō ‘to change, alter, make different’
Today it means
verb To change with time or a similar parameter.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin varius / vary