A "variant" refers to a version or form of something that differs from the original. This term is often used in various fields, such as biology, where it describes a genetic variation among organisms. For example, a virus may have different variants that arise due to mutations, affecting how it spreads or responds to treatments. In linguistics, a variant can refer to different forms of a word or phrase that convey the same meaning. For instance, the word "color" in American English has a variant spelling, "colour," in British English. Variants can help illustrate diversity within languages and species.