variable quantity : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: variable quantity	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for variable quantity
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
variable quantity n a quantity that can assume any of a set of values [syn: variable, variable quantity]
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Variable \Va"riable\, a. [L. variabilis: cf. F. variable.] 1. Having the capacity of varying or changing; capable of alternation in any manner; changeable; as, variable winds or seasons; a variable quantity. 2. Liable to vary; too susceptible of change; mutable; fickle; unsteady; inconstant; as, the affections of men are variable; passions are variable. Lest that thy love prove likewise variable. --Shak. His heart, I know, how variable and vain! --Milton. {Variable exhaust} (Steam Eng.), a blast pipe with an adjustable opening. {Variable quantity} (Math.), a variable. {Variable stars} (Astron.), fixed stars which vary in their brightness, usually in more or less uniform periods.