Definition of: variety

(və·rī′ə·tē) noun plural ·ties
1. The state or character of being various or varied; diversity.
2. A collection of diverse things; an assortment of unlike objects.
3. The possession of different characteristics by one individual.
4. A limited class of things that differ in certain common peculiarities from a larger class to which they belong; sometimes, an example of such a sort or kind.
5. Biol. An individual, or a group of individuals of a species, that differs from the type in certain characters capable of perpetuation, and that is usually fertile with any other member of the species; a subdivision of a species; subspecies. See synonyms under CHANGE. [<MF variété <L varietas <varius various]