Variance
/ˈvɛə.ri.əns/noun
The quality or state of being different, inconsistent, or varying; in statistics, a measure of how spread out values are.
Did you know?Variance ultimately traces back to the same Indo-European root as Latin vertere, and that root also powers words like verse and invert—so hidden inside “difference” is the old magic of turning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wer-
“to turn, bend”
Latin
Latin
vertere
“to turn, change, or transform”
Latin
Latin
variantia
“the act or state of differing; changing”
Old French
Old French
variance
“difference, dispute, disagreement”
Middle English
English
variance
“disagreement, discord; state of being unlike”
Modern English
English
variance
“difference, inconsistency, or statistical spread”