varia lectio

English

Alternative forms

• var. lect., v.l. (abbreviation)

Etymology

Latin: varia (feminine singular form of varius, “different”; whence various) + lectiō (“a reading”; whence lection) = “a different reading”

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: vâʹrĭə-lĕkʹtĭō, IPA^(key): /ˈvɛəɹɪəˈlɛktɪəʊ/

Noun

varia lectio (plural variae lectiones or (obsolete) variæ lectiones)

1. (textual criticism and interpretation) Any one of the interpretations or readings of a given passage in a text which differ from copy to copy, from edition to edition, from manuscript to manuscript, or from translation to translation.

Translations

any one of the readings of a passage in a text which differ from source to source

• German: andere Lesart, unterschiedliche Lesung, verschiedene Lesart (literal translations of the Latin phrase)
• Greek: διαφορετική γραφή f (diaforetikí grafí)

References

• “‖varia lectio” in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed., 1989)