Variegation comes from Late Latin variegātiō, from variegāre ('to make of various colors'), from varius ('diverse, spotted'). In current use it is a noun meaning "the state of having varied colors or markings". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. The historical chain includes Latin variegāre and Latin varius. Related English forms include variegate, various, variety, and vary. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.