Variáció

Variáció is a Hungarian noun meaning variation, alteration, or a variant form of something. It derives from Latin variatio, via French variation, and was adopted into Hungarian in the early modern period. The term is used broadly to describe differences or alternatives within a set, among individuals, or over time.

In music, variáció refers to a variation form in which a theme is stated and then followed by a sequence of variations that preserve the basic structure while altering melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic elements. This form has a long tradition in Western classical music and includes celebrated examples such as Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. In Hungarian music criticism, composers may describe a piece as containing variációk when it presents a series of stylistic changes on a unifying theme.

In science and linguistics, variáció denotes variability within populations, species, or language use. In biology, this includes genetic variation (genetikai variáció) and phenotypic variation. In linguistics and sociolinguistics, nyelvi variáció describes differences in language use across contexts, communities, or social groups.

The term emphasizes difference and multiplicity rather than a single, fixed state. It contrasts with related concepts such as variancia (variance), which has a more specific statistical meaning, and variant, which refers to a particular form among alternatives.

See also: Variation, Variance, Variant.