alter

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to remove the ovaries of

   The veterinarian altered the cat.

2. 2
   verb

   to become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence

   I altered my clothing style through the years.

3. 3
   verb

   to cause to change

   I altered the secret code.

4. 4
   verb

   to insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby

   The spy secretly altered the records to hide their actions.

5. 5
   verb

   to make an alteration to

   I alter clothes for a living.

6. 6
   verb

   To change the form or structure of.

   Near-synonym: tweak

7. 7
   verb

   To become different.

   […] Passing the song of the hermit bird and the tallying song of my soul, / Victorious song, death’s outlet song, yet varying ever-altering song, […]

8. 8
   verb

   To affect mentally, as by psychotropic drugs or illness.

   We don't know if he was altered on alcohol or drugs or anything […]

Etymology

From Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterāre (“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.