variety

noun13

1. •
   a group of things of many different kinds

   • In other parts of the sea are seen sponges of various magnitude, and extraordinary appearances, assuming a variety of phantastic forms like large mushrooms, mitres, fonts, and flovver-pots. — 1791
2. •
   The quality of being varied; diversity.

   • Variety is the spice of life.
3. •
   A specific variation of something.

   • The spirit of that competition burns / With all varieties of ill by turns, / Each vainly magnifies his own success, / Resents his fellows, wishes it were less, […] — 1785
4. •
   An animal or plant (or a group of such animals or plants) with characteristics causing it to differ from other animals or plants of the same species; a strain or cultivar.

   • Jim is a nurseryman, specialising in clematis, and he has built up a business exporting 150 varieties to countries all over the world. — 1980
5. •
   A rank in a taxonomic classification below species and (if present) subspecies, and above form; hence, an organism of that rank.

   • Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum is a variety of Capsicum annuum commonly known as chiltepin or Indian pepper.
6. •
   A specific form of a language, neutral to whether that form is an accent, dialect, register, etc., and to its prestige level.

   • The mere existence of a dictionary of a certain variety of English does not automatically confer acceptance of that variety. — 2014
7. •
   A stamp, or set of stamps, which has one or more characteristics (such as colour, paper, etc.) differing from other stamps in the same issue, especially if such differences are intentionally introduced.
8. •
   The kind of entertainment given in variety performances or shows; also, the production of, or performance in, variety performances or shows.
9. •
   Ellipsis of variety performance or variety show (“a type of entertainment featuring a succession of short, unrelated performances by various artistes such as (depending on the medium) acrobats, comedians, dancers, magicians, singers, etc.”).
10. •
    A deviation or difference.
11. •
    In universal algebra: an equational class; the class of all algebraic structures of a given signature, satisfying a given set of identities.
12. •
    The total number of distinct states of a system; also, the logarithm to the base 2 of the total number of distinct states of a system.
13. •
    Ellipsis of algebraic variety (“the set of solutions of a given system of polynomial equations over the real or complex numbers; any of certain generalisations of such a set that preserves the geometric intuition implicit in the original definition”).