Added 9 October 2026
alternate
/ɒlˈtɜː(ɹ).nət/ adjective
In Latin: alternus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about alternate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly).
- Alternating; (of e.g. a pair of tinctures which a charge is coloured) succeeding in turns, or (relative to the field) counterchanged.
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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.
noun
- That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
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A substitute; an alternative; one designated to take the place of another, if necessary, in performing some duty.
An alternate for the first-string quarterback played the entire first half.
- A proportion derived from another proportion by interchanging the means.
verb
- To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
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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.
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To vary by turns.
The land alternates between rocky hills and sandy plains.
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)