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)

Noun

(en noun)

The act of innovating; the introduction of something new, in customs, rites, etc.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author= Karen McVeigh

, volume=189, issue=2, page=10, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= US rules human genes can't be patented , passage=The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation .}}

*

A change effected by innovating; a change in customs;

Something new, and contrary to established customs, manners, or rites.

A newly formed shoot, or the annually produced addition to the stems of many mosses.