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Webster 1913 Edition

Alter

Al′ter

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Altered
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Altering
.]
[F.
altérer
, LL.
alterare
, fr. L.
alter
other,
alius
other. Cf.
Else
,
Other
.]
1.
To make otherwise; to change in some respect, either partially or wholly; to vary; to modify.
“To alter the king’s course.” “To alter the condition of a man.” “No power in Venice can alter a decree.”
Shak.
It gilds all objects, but it
alters
none.
Pope.
My covenant will I not break, nor
alter
the thing that is gone out of my lips.
Ps. lxxxix. 34.
2.
To agitate; to affect mentally.
[Obs.]
Milton.
3.
To geld.
[Colloq.]
Syn. –
Change
,
Alter
.
Change is generic and the stronger term. It may express a loss of identity, or the substitution of one thing in place of another; alter commonly expresses a partial change, or a change in form or details without destroying identity.

Al′ter

,
Verb.
I.
To become, in some respects, different; to vary; to change;
as, the weather
alters
almost daily; rocks or minerals
alter
by exposure.
“The law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.”
Dan. vi. 8.

Webster 1828 Edition

Alter

AL'TER

,
Verb.
T.
[L. alter, another. See Alien.]
1.
To make some change in; to make different in some particular; to vary in some degree, without an entire change.
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips. Ps. 89.
2.
To change entirely or materially; as, to alter an opinion. In general, to alter is to change partially; to change is more generally to substitute one thing for another, or to make a material difference in a thing.

AL'TER

,
Verb.
I.
To become, in some respects, different; to vary; as, the weather alters almost daily.
The law which altereth not. Dan 4.

Definition 2024

Alter

Alter

See also: alter, älter, and alter-

German

Noun

Alter n ‎(genitive Alters, plural Alter)

  1. age, old age
  2. antiquity
  3. epoch, age

Declension

Derived terms

Noun

Alter m ‎(genitive Alten, plural Alte, feminine Alte)

  1. old man; in the plural also old person
  2. (slang, used in the vocative) dude

Usage notes

  • While the slang term started out as a way to refer to males, its usage is not uncommon among females. The term is in the process of shifting towards being used more as an exclamation, similar to dude in American English.

Declension

Derived terms

References

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From German Alter n. The masculine gender, though existing dialectally in German, is probably triggered by French âge.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɑltɐ/

Noun

Alter m ‎(plural Alteren)

  1. age
  2. old age

alter

alter

See also: Alter, älter, and alter-

English

Alternative forms

Verb

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.
    • 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.
  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, obsolete) To agitate; to affect mentally.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

External links

  • alter in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • alter in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse altari, from Old Saxon altari, from Latin altare ‎(“altar”), cognates with Icelandic altari.

Noun

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

  1. altar

Inflection

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʔaltɐ/

Adjective

alter

  1. inflected form of alt

Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈal.ter/, [ˈaɫ.tɛr]

Adjective

alter m ‎(feminine altera, neuter alterum); first/second declension

  1. the other, the second
  2. the one...the other (alter...alter)

Inflection

First/second declension, nominative masculine singular in -er, with genitive singular in -īus and dative singular in -ī.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
nominative alter altera alterum alterī alterae altera
genitive alterīus 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

Descendants

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Noun

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

  1. an altar

Etymology 2

Noun

alter m

  1. indefinite plural of alt

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

Noun

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

  1. an altar

Etymology

From Middle High German alter, from Old High German altar, from Proto-Germanic *aldrą.

Cognate with German Low German Oller.

Pronunciation

  • (most of Germany, some of Austria) IPA(key): /ˈaltər/, [ˈʔältʰɐ], [ˈʔaltʰɐ], [ˈʔälta]
  • (Switzerland, some of Germany and Austria) IPA(key): /ˈaltər/, [ˈʔältər], [ˈʔɑltər]

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