alter

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See also: Alter, älter, and alter-

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterare (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”), from al- (seen in alius (“other”), alienus (“of another”), etc.; see alias, alien, etc.) + compar. suffix -ter.

Verb[edit]

alter (third-person singular simple present alters, present participle altering, simple past and past participle altered)

  1. (transitive) To change the form or structure of.
  2. (intransitive) To become different.
  3. (transitive) To tailor clothes to make them fit.
  4. (transitive) To castrate, neuter or spay (a dog or other animal).
  5. (transitive) To affect mentally, as by psychotropic drugs or illness.
Alternative forms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Derived terms
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Probably from alter ego.

Noun[edit]

alter (plural alters)

  1. (especially in the plural) An identity or headmate of a person with dissociative identity disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder).

References[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Noun[edit]

alter (plural alters)

  1. (proscribed) Alternative form of altar.
    • 2002, Nicholas Smeed, Resurrections: Vignettes About Discovery, Relationships, Personal Empowerment, And Preternatural Experiences, Xlibris Corporation (→ISBN), page 26:
      As an alter boy he remembered that walking between the alter and the gates was prohibited for everyone except the priest.
    • 2007, Jerry P. Martinez, Leche De Coyote, Xlibris Corporation (→ISBN), page 39:
      The hardest part of being an alter boy was learning Latin. The mass was conducted in Latin and we had to learn to pray in Latin.
    • 2009, Todd Sprague, Survive, Todd Sprague (→ISBN), page 142:
      On the alter, several candles sat unlit. An open bible rested among the candles. Behind the alter, hanging high, a huge cross was affixed to the wall, with a replica of Jesus in rags nailed to it. A simple wooden door stood closed behind the alter […]
    • 2011, Suzanne Dekeyzer James, The Stone Harp, Xlibris Corporation (→ISBN), page 146:
      Truth motioned to Alexandra, “There; the key is kept on the alter.” She spotted it easily, for it was now well lighted by an amber colored presence light. She and the others moved quickly toward the alter.
    • 2018, William Francis Jack, Alter Boy Rules, Lulu Press, Inc (→ISBN)
      Third-rate alter boy. Skinny, lousy face, brown hair with a cowlick as big as Sputtnik. So as not to go on about it, I can put it in one word: Butt-ugly.
Usage notes[edit]

Usually considered a misspelling.

Anagrams[edit]

Danish[edit]

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse altari, from Old Saxon altari, from Late Latin altare (“altar”). Cognate with English altar and German Altar.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

alter n (singular definite altret or alteret, plural indefinite altre)

  1. (religion) altar, a table or a platform for making sacrifices.
  2. (Christianity) altar, the ritual space of a Christian church.

Inflection[edit]

Declension of alter
neuter
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative alter altret
alteret 		altre altrene
genitive alters altrets
alterets 		altres altrenes

References[edit]

“alter” in Den Danske Ordbog

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

alter

  1. inflection of alt:
    1. strong/mixed nominative masculine singular
    2. strong genitive/dative feminine singular
    3. strong genitive plural

Indonesian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English alter, from Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterare (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ˈalt̪ɛr], [ˈalt̪ər]
  • Hyphenation: al‧ter

Verb[edit]

alter

  1. to alter, to tailor clothes to make them fit.

Further reading[edit]

Latin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Indo-European *h₂élteros (“the other of two”) (akin to English other). Akin to alius. Confer with ulter.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

alter (feminine altera, neuter alterum); first/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal)

  1. the other, the second
  2. the one...the other (alter...alter)
    • Caesar, de Bello Gallico VII, 17:
      De re frumentaria Boios atque Aeduos adhortari non destitit; quorum alteri, [...] non multum adiuvabant, alteri non magnis facultatibus, [...] celeriter quod habuerunt consumpserunt
      He never ceased to urge the Boii and Aedui for supplies; of whom the one (Aedui) [...] did not help much, the others (Boii) as their resources was not great, [...] quickly consumed what they had

Declension[edit]

First/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal).

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative alter altera alterum alterī alterae altera
Genitive alterī̆us alterōrum alterārum alterōrum
Dative alterī alterīs
Accusative alterum alteram alterum alterōs alterās altera
Ablative alterō alterā alterō alterīs
Vocative alter altera alterum alterī alterae altera

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Latin correlatives (edit)
type interrogative indefinite (medial)
demonstrative		 proximal
demonstrative		 distal
demonstrative		 relative indefinite
relative		 identity other
basic quis, quī quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quisque, quisquam, aliquisquam, quispiam, ūllus is, iste, istic hic ille, illic quī quisquis, quīcumque ipse, īdem alter, alius
dual uter alteruter, uterque uter utercumque
number quot aliquot tot quot quotquot, quotcumque totidem
order quotus totus quotus quotuscumque
quantity quam aliquam tam quam †quamquam †tamen, †tandem
size quantus aliquantus tantus quantus quantuscumque tantusdem
quality quālis aliquālis tālis quālis quālis, quāliscumque
manner ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utique, quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō ita, sic, eō/istō modō hōc modō illō modō ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque item, itidem aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
method,
path,
place 		quā aliquā, quāque eā, istāc hāc illāc quā quāquā, quācumque eādem aliā
place ubi alicubi, ubique, usquam, uspiam ibi, istic hīc illīc ubi ubiubi, ubicumque ibidem alibī, aliās
source unde alicunde, undeunde inde, istinc hinc illinc unde undecumque indidem aliunde
destination quō, quōrsum aliquō, quōquam, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum eō, istūc, °istōrsum hūc, °hōrsum illūc, °illōrsum quō quōquō, quōcumque eōdem aliō, aliorsum
time quandō quondam, aliquandō, quandōque, umquam tum, tunc num, nunc ōlim cum, quandō cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque simul aliās
exact time quota hora ea/ista hora hac hora illa hora quota hora quotacumque hora eadem hora altera/alia hora
repetition quotiēns aliquotiēns totiēns quotiēns quotiēnscumque
multiplication quotuplex totuplex quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated
° Rare

Descendants[edit]

  • Aragonese: atro
  • English: alter
  • Aromanian: altu
  • Asturian: otru
  • Catalan altre, altri
  • Dalmatian: jultro
  • Franco-Provençal: ôtro
  • French: autre, autrui
  • Friulian: altri
  • Galician: outro

References[edit]

  • alter in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • alter in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • alter in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
  • Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • one or two days: unus et alter dies
    • one, two, several days had passed, intervened: dies unus, alter, plures intercesserant

Lombard[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Akin to Italian altro, from Latin alter.

Adjective[edit]

alter

  1. other

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology 1[edit]

Noun[edit]

alter n (definite singular alteret / altret, indefinite plural alter / altere / altre, definite plural altera / altra / altrene)

  1. an altar

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

alter m

  1. indefinite plural of alt

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Alternative forms[edit]

Noun[edit]

alter n (definite singular alteret, indefinite plural alter, definite plural altera)

  1. an altar
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