alternation C2 Topic:Law & Government US /ˈɔl.tɚˌneɪ.ʃən/ UK /ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪ.ʃən/ See IPA manual Freq #101447 Meanings 1 noun successive change from one thing or state to another and back again A trill is a rapid alternation between the two notes. 2 noun The reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence The alternation of day and night. 3 noun The response of the congregation speaking alternately with the minister. There are Anthems to be found amongst them , where every syllable has its just length ; each part of a sentence its proper pause : where the words are not confused by perplexing alternations, or rendered tedious by unnecessary repetitions. 4 noun A pattern by which more than one construct is possible, as with "Alice cooked Bob dinner" and "Alice cooked dinner for Bob". Dative alternation; locative alternation. Thesaurus Word family Derived forms alternationalnonalternation Etymology Learned borrowing from Latin alternatio; compare French alternation. By surface analysis, alternate + -ion. Topics Law & Government External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # alternation **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈɔl.tɚˌneɪ.ʃən/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪ.ʃən/ **Frequency rank:** 101447 ## Meanings 1. successive change from one thing or state to another and back again 2. The reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence 3. The response of the congregation speaking alternately with the minister. 4. A pattern by which more than one construct is possible, as with "Alice cooked Bob dinner" and "Alice cooked dinner for Bob". ## Examples - A trill is a rapid alternation between the two notes. - The alternation of day and night. - There are Anthems to be found amongst them , where every syllable has its just length ; each part of a sentence its proper pause : where the words are not confused by perplexing alternations, or rendered tedious by unnecessary repetitions. - Dative alternation; locative alternation. ## Derived Forms - alternational - nonalternation ## Etymology Learned borrowing from Latin alternatio; compare French alternation. By surface analysis, alternate + -ion. ## Topics - Law & Government markdown