alternate

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/ UK /ɒlˈtɜː(ɹ).nət/ See IPA manual

Freq #9900

Meanings

1

verb
To do two things one after the other, by turns.

I alternate between biking and swimming for exercise.
2

adj
Happening or appearing one after the other in turns.

We see her on alternate weekends.
3

adj
Used instead of another; alternative.

We took an alternate route to avoid the traffic.
4

noun
A person or thing kept ready to take the place of another.

She served as an alternate in case a member of the team got sick.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to do two things one after... take turns

3 adj · used instead of another;... alternative other

4 noun · a person or thing kept... substitute

More interchange seesaw

Word family

Forms alternatedalternatesalternating

Derived forms alternatelyalternatenessalternatinglyalternatorcoalternatenonalternatingpolyalternatingprealternatesubalternatingunalternatedunalternating

Related forms alternation alternative variant

Etymology

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.

*h₂el- (other) Proto-Indo-European alternō Latin

View etymology graph ->

External links

# alternate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ɔlʈə(r).neʈ/
**IPA (UK):** /ɒlˈtɜː(ɹ).nət/
**Frequency rank:** 9900

## Meanings
1. To do two things one after the other, by turns.
2. Happening or appearing one after the other in turns.
3. Used instead of another; alternative.
4. A person or thing kept ready to take the place of another.

## Examples
- I alternate between biking and swimming for exercise.
- We see her on alternate weekends.
- We took an alternate route to avoid the traffic.
- She served as an alternate in case a member of the team got sick.

## Synonyms
- interchange
- seesaw

## Derived Forms
- alternately
- alternateness
- alternatingly
- alternator
- coalternate
- nonalternating
- polyalternating
- prealternate
- subalternating
- unalternated
- unalternating

## Related Forms
- alternation
- alternative
- variant

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₂el- (other)
- Root: alternō

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Alternate is borrowed from Latin alternātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin alternō (“to take turns”), from alternus (“one after another, by turns”), from alter (“other”) plus -nus. Doublet of altern. Compare alter. The historical line also includes Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (other). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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alternate

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