Variété

Variété is a term used in French to denote diversity or a set of different elements, and it also has specific technical meanings in biology and culture.

In biology, variété (varietas) is a taxonomic rank below species. It designates a distinct population that differs in certain characteristics but can interbreed with other populations of the same species. In botany and horticulture, a variety is often a naturally occurring or cultivated form that remains stable under propagation. The term is frequently contrasted with subspecies (subspecies) and with cultivar, the latter being a cultivated variety selected and propagated for particular traits.

In horticulture and agriculture, variété refers to plants that show consistent, heritable traits that distinguish them from other members of the same species. While a variety can arise naturally, cultivars are varieties developed or selected through human cultivation and propagated to maintain traits, sometimes indicated in naming by technical conventions (for example, cultivar names may appear in quotation marks or after a défini acronym in certain contexts).

In culture, variété also denotes a genre of entertainment. The term “variété” is used for light, popular entertainment that includes songs, sketches, dances, and variety acts. This sense underpins the concept of a variety show, or “spectacle de variétés,” historically prominent in French theatres and, broadly, in media programs that present a mix of performances. In cinema and media history, films described as “variétés” typically aimed at broad audiences with accessible, entertaining content.

See also: diversity, cultivar, subspecies, taxonomy, variety show.