The first thing we are going to do in order to discover the meaning of the term invariable is to know its etymological origin. In this case, we can emphasize that it derives from Latin. Exactly it is the result of the sum of several lexical components of said language such as the following:
-The prefix “in-”, which means “no” or “without”.
-The verb “variare”, which can be translated as “change appearance”.
-The suffix “-able”, which is used to indicate “possibility”.
The notion of invariable refers to what does not register variations . Variation, meanwhile, is the act and result of varying: modifying, changing.
The invariable, in this way, is that which does not undergo alterations , remaining in the same state , position or level . For example: "The government announced that the price of fuel will remain unchanged for three months" , "The initial formation of the team remained unchanged in the first eight games of the tournament" , "Despite the singer's health problems, the rock band reported that the tour schedule will remain unchanged for the moment .
Among the words that can serve as synonyms for invariable we find unalterable, stable, immutable, immovable, constant, permanent, fixed, eternal, immutable or even perennial. On the contrary, among its antonyms we find changing, mutable, fluctuating or mobile, among others.
It is possible to easily understand the concept of invariance if we analyze how the exchange rate works. The exchange rate, or exchange rate , is the proportional relationship between the value of two currencies. This exchange rate can be flexible (when defined by the free play of supply and demand of currencies in the market) or fixed (determined by the monetary authority). In a country with a flexible exchange rate, the dollar can cost 15 pesos one day, 14.5 pesos the next day and then 15.2 pesos: the price is constantly updated. On the contrary, in a nation with a fixed exchange rate, the value of the dollar is determined by the Central Bank : if this entity establishes that one dollar is worth 10 pesos, said value will remain unchanged . No matter how many people buy or sell dollars, the price will not change.
In the context of grammar , on the other hand, the idea of invariable is used to qualify the word that does not accept inflection. Invariant words , in this framework, are chains of morphemes that do not present variations, like prepositions in our language.
In the same way, we can also highlight that adverbs are included in the category of invariable words because, at all times, they function as modifiers of other categories (adjectives, nouns...).
In the field of literature we find several works that use the term in question in their titles. This is the case of the novel “El tiempo invariable”, which was published in 2000 and is written by Pedro Jorge Vera.
Likewise, we can also highlight the book “The invariable story”, which has the subtitle “Independence, myth and nation”. It is written by the author Inés Quintero and revolves around history. Basically what it tries to do is give another vision of the one that always revolves around the same events and the same protagonists.