variable exhaust

1 definition found

variable exhaust - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Variable \Va"ri*a*ble\, a. [L. variabilis: cf. F. variable.]
     1. Having the capacity of varying or changing; capable of
        alternation in any manner; changeable; as, variable winds
        or seasons; a variable quantity.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Liable to vary; too susceptible of change; mutable;
        fickle; unsteady; inconstant; as, the affections of men
        are variable; passions are variable.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Lest that thy love prove likewise variable. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              His heart, I know, how variable and vain! --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Variable exhaust (Steam Eng.), a blast pipe with an
        adjustable opening.
  
     Variable quantity (Math.), a variable.
  
     Variable-rate mortgage (Finance), a mortgage whose
        percentage interest rate varies depending on some agreed
        standard, such as the prime rate; -- used often in
        financing the purchase of a home. Such a mortgage usually
        has a lower initial interest rate than a fixed-rate  mortgage
        , and this permits buyers of a home to finance
        the purchase a house of higher price than would be
        possible with a fixed-rate loan.
  
     Variable stars (Astron.), fixed stars which vary in their
        brightness, usually in more or less uniform periods.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: Changeable; mutable; fickle; wavering; unsteady;
          versatile; inconstant.
          [1913 Webster]