What does variegate mean?
Variegate means to make something varied, most often by introducing different colors or contrasting visual qualities. A gardener might variegate a border with flowering plants of several hues, while a designer could use variegated foliage to enliven a uniform arrangement. The word can also have the broader, more formal sense of making an institution, collection, or programme more diverse in character. As an adjective, variegate describes an irregular mixture of colors, as in variegated leaves or variegated cloth. It is related in origin and meaning to variety, various, and varied, but it has a particularly strong association with visual contrast. The term is useful when variety is deliberate and conspicuous rather than merely incidental.
To make something varied in color, appearance, or character.
"Native grasses variegate the meadow with shades of green and gold."
The visual sense is the most familiar; the broader sense of diversification is literary and formal.
Marked with different colors or an irregularly varied pattern.
"Variegated foliage softened the stark outline of the stone wall."
Variegate joins variety with color: its Latin ancestor means both “variegated” and “diverse.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does variegate come from?
Variegate derives from Latin variegare, “to make variegated,” ultimately from varius, meaning “variegated,” “various,” or “diverse.” The word was established in English in the early 17th century, with the verb appearing before the modern adjective and participial forms. Its relatives variety, various, and variable reflect the same Latin root and the broad idea of difference or diversity.
Related word forms
How variegate is actually used
The verb is literary and relatively uncommon in everyday speech. Its visual sense is especially associated with plants, gardens, patterns, and decorative effects; the broader sense of making something diverse is more formal.
Easily confused with variegate
Varied describes anything differing in type, size, or character, whereas variegate usually implies variation in color or visual appearance.