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Dry vs Alter - What's the difference?

dry | alter |

As an acronym dry

is (computing).

As an adjective alter is

.

dry

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) drye, drie, dri, drige, dryge, . See also (l), (l), (l).

Alternative forms

* (l) (obsolete)

Adjective

(en-adj)
  • Free from liquid or moisture.
  • * Addison
    • The weather, we agreed, was too dry for the season.
  • * Prescott
    • Not a dry eye was to be seen in the assembly.
  • (chemistry) Free of water in any state; anhydrous.
  • Thirsty; needing drink.
  • * (William Shakespeare)
    • Give the dry fool drink.
  • (of an alcoholic beverage) Lacking sugar or low in sugar; not sweet.
  • Maintaining temperance; void or abstinent from alcoholic beverages.
  • (of a person or joke) Subtly humorous, yet without mirth.
  • * (Washington Irving)
    • He was rather a dry , shrewd kind of body.
  • (of a scientist or his laboratory) Not working with chemical or biological matter, but, rather, doing computations.
  • (masonry) Built without mortar; dry-stone.
  • *
  • (of animals) Not giving milk.
  • Lacking interest or amusement; barren; unembellished.
  • * (Alexander Pope)
    • These epistles will become less dry , more susceptible of ornament.
  • (fine arts) Exhibiting a sharp, frigid preciseness of execution, or lacking delicate contours and soft transitions of colour.
    • Synonyms
    * (free from liquid or moisture) arid, parched
    Antonyms
    * (free from liquid or moisture) wet * (abstinent from alcohol) wet * wet
    Derived terms
    * bone dry * dry as a bone * dry as a dead dingo’s donger * dry cough * dry hole * dry ice * drily * dry run * dryly * dryness * dry spell * drywall * dry weight * like watching paint dry

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl)

    Verb

  • To lose moisture.
    • The clothes dried on the line.
  • To remove moisture from.
    • Devin dried her eyes with a handkerchief.
  • (ambitransitive, figurative) To cease or cause to cease.
    • Their sources of income dried up.
    The stream of chatter dried up.
    Derived terms
    * drier * dryer * dry out * dry up * nondrying
    See also
    * desiccant * desiccate * desiccation

    alter

    English

    Alternative forms

    * altre (obsolete)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To change the form or structure of.
  • * Bible, Psalms lxxxix. 34
    • My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
  • * Shakespeare
    • No power in Venice can alter a decree.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • It gilds all objects, but it alters none.
  • To become different.
  • To tailor clothes to make them fit.
  • To castrate, neuter or spay (a dog or other animal).
  • (obsolete) To agitate; to affect mentally.
    • (Milton)

    Derived terms

    * alterer * alterability * alterative * alterable * alterably

    Related terms

    * alteration * alternate * alternative

    External links

    * *

    Anagrams

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