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Alteration vs Alternate - What's the difference?

alteration | alternate |

As nouns the difference between alteration and alternate

is that alteration is the act of altering or making different while alternate is that which alternates with something else; vicissitude.

As an adjective alternate is

being or succeeding by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; by turns first one and then the other; hence, reciprocal.

As a verb alternate is

to perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.

alteration

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • The act of altering or making different.
  • * 1594 , , Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity ,
  • alteration , though it be from worse to better, hath in it inconveniences…
  • The state of being altered; a change made in the form or nature of a thing; changed condition.
  • * 1892 , ,
  • …and I saw by the alteration in your face that a train of thought had been started.
    (Webster 1913)

    References

    *

    alternate

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Being or succeeding by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; by turns first one and then the other; hence, reciprocal.
  • And bid alternate passions fall and rise . -
  • (mathematics) 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.
  • the alternate members 1, 3, 5, 7, etc.
  • (US) Other; alternative.
  • Hyperlinked text is displayed in alternate color in a Web browser.
  • (botany) Distributed, as leaves, singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular divergence.
  • (Gray)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
  • * Matthew Prior
  • Grateful alternates of substantial.
  • (US) A substitute; an alternative; one designated to take the place of another, if necessary, in performing some duty.
  • (mathematics) A proportion derived from another proportion by interchanging the means.
  • (US) A replacement of equal or greater value or function.
  • (heraldry) Figures or tinctures that succeed each other by turns.
  • Verb

    (alternat)
  • To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
  • * Grew
  • The most high God, in all things appertaining unto this life, for sundry wise ends alternates the disposition of good and evil.
  • To happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or time; followed by with .
  • The flood and ebb tides alternate with each other.
  • To vary by turns.
  • ''The land alternates between rocky hills and sandy plains.

    Derived terms

    * alternate allegation * alternate angles * alternate generation * alternately * alternation

    See also

    * alternative * variant