VARIABLE QUANTITY • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Variable quantity

Variable adj.

Having the capacity of varying or changing; capable of alternation in any manner; changeable; as, variable winds or seasons; a variable quantity.

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." "His heart, I know, how variable and vain!"

Variable exhaust (Steam Eng.), a blast pipe with an adjustable opening.

Variable quantity (Math.), a variable.

Variable-rate mortgage (Finance), a mortgage whose percentage interest rate varies depending on some agreed standard, such as the prime rate; used often in financing the purchase of a home. Such a mortgage usually has a lower initial interest rate than a fixed-rate mortgage, and this permits buyers of a home to finance the purchase a house of higher price than would be possible with a fixed-rate loan.

Variable stars (Astron.), fixed stars which vary in their brightness, usually in more or less uniform periods.

Synonyms: Changeable; mutable; fickle; wavering; unsteady; versatile; inconstant.