Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Variegate \Va"ri*e*gate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Variegated}; p.
   pr. & vb. n. {Variegating}.] [L. variegatus, p. p. of
   variegare to variegate; varius various + agere to move, make.
   See {Various}, and {Agent}.]
   To diversify in external appearance; to mark with different
   colors; to dapple; to streak; as, to variegate a floor with
   marble of different colors.

         The shells are filled with a white spar, which
         variegates and adds to the beauty of the stone.
                                                  --Woodward.