English Explanatory Dictionary

alternate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).
  2. Alternating; (of e.g. a pair of tinctures which a charge is coloured) succeeding in turns, or (relative to the field) counterchanged.
  3. Designating the members in a series, which regularly intervene between the members of another series, as the odd or even numbers of the numerals; every other; every second.
  4. Other; alternative.
  5. Distributed singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular divergence
noun
  1. That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
  2. A substitute; an alternative; one designated to take the place of another, if necessary, in performing some duty.
  3. A proportion derived from another proportion by interchanging the means.
  4. A replacement of equal or greater value or function.
verb
  1. To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
  2. To happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or time; followed by with.
  3. To vary by turns.
  4. To perform an alternation (removal of alternate vertices) on (a polytope or tessellation); to remove vertices (from a face or edge) as part of an alternation.

Pronunciation

/ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/ /ɒlˈtɜː(ɹ).nət/ /ɔːlˈtɜː(ɹ).nət/ en-uk-alternate-adj.wav /ˈɔl.tɚ.nət/ /ˈɑl.tɚ.nət/ en-us-alternate-noun-adj.ogg /ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪt/ /ˈɔːl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪt/ LL-Q7979-Soundguys-alternate.wav /ˈɔl.tɚ.neɪt/ /ˈɑl.tɚ.neɪt/ en-us-alternate-verb.ogg

Word forms

alternate alternates alternating alternated

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alternātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin alternō (“to take turns”) (see -ate (1,2 and 3)), from alternus (“one after another, by turns”), from alter (“other”) + -nus. Doublet of altern; see also alter.

Synonyms

seesaw alternate interchange

Related words

alternation alternative variant every second every other

Derived words

alternate action alternate aerodrome alternate allegation alternate angles alternate energy alternate generation alternate history alternate juror alternately alternateness alternate persona alternate plumage alternate reality game alternate ring hitching alternate timeline alternate universe alternating caps alternating case alternating function alternating group alternating hemiplegia alternating knot alternatingly alternating series alternator coalternate nonalternating polyalternating prealternate subalternating unalternated unalternating

Translations

Bulgarian: редуващ се Czech: střídavý Estonian: vahelduv Finnish: vuorotteleva German: alternierend German: wechselnd German: abwechselnd German: Wechsel- Italian: alterno Italian: alternato Latin: alternus Polish: alternować Polish: naprzemienny Portuguese: alternado Portuguese: alternante Spanish: alterno Swedish: växlande Swedish: omväxlande Swedish: alternerande Welsh: bob yn ail
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