Variegated has been adding color to our language since the 17th century. It is used in botany to describe the presence of two or more colors in the leaves, petals, or other parts of plants, and it also appears in the names of some animals (such as the variegated cutworm). It can be used by the general speaker to refer to anything marked with different colors ("a variegated silk robe," for instance) or to things that are simply various and diverse ("a variegated collection"). Variegated has a variety of relatives in English—it is ultimately derived from the Latin root varius, meaning "varied," which also gave us vary, various, and variety.
the variegated costumes of the dancers in the nightclub a variety of variegated tulip that is highly prized by gardeners
Recent Examples on the WebIt’s a variegated pepper that gets 18 to 24 inches high and 12 to 18 inches wide and is considered a mini bell pepper. Joanne Kempinger Demski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2022 Beauty was an expression of variegated desires, not a thing.Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2021 Throughout much of its history, psychiatry didn’t display a strong interest in precise and variegated definitions of mental disorders. Stephen Eide, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2021 Across from a dog park in the heart of Washington, D.C., stands a striking, multicolored mural, in which two women reach for each other across a space teeming with variegated particles. Meredith Wadman, Science | AAAS, 24 June 2021 Between city and country lies a more variegated landscape of intermediates. Nikil Saval, The New Republic, 26 Oct. 2020 Bill Buford has had a storied and variegated career, a mix of high and low and sensitive and almost macho — a career that has twisted gently, like a flamed citrus peel destined for a Negroni. Dwight Garner, New York Times, 25 May 2020 Place these plants in a hanging basket or on a shelf to show off the variegated colors. Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 May 2020 Growers must take cuttings from the plant to propagate new pink princesses, and only from the most variegated parts of a mother plant, which makes them finicky for commercial growing. Arielle Pardes, Wired, 19 Feb. 2020 See More