something a little different from others of the same type; "an experimental version of the night fighter"; "an emery wheel is a modern variant of the grindstone"; "the boy is a younger edition of his father";
a variable quantity that is random;
an event that departs from expectations;
(biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups; "a new strain of microorganisms";
differing from a norm or standard; "a variant spelling";
