ALTER
What does "ALTER" mean?
To make or become different in some respect without changing into something else.
Meanings
- To change a thing in some particular way; to modify. She altered the recipe by halving the sugar.
- To adjust a garment so that it fits better. The tailor altered the trousers to take up an inch.
- To become different; to change. His mood altered the moment she walked in.
Did you know?
- To 'alter' something is, at root, to make it 'other': the Latin 'alter' ('the other of two') is the same seed that grew into 'alternate', 'alternative', and even 'altruism' (caring for the other).
Word origin
From Latin 'alter' meaning 'the other (of two)', via Late Latin 'alterare' (to make other) and Old French 'alterer'; to alter is literally to make a thing 'other'.
Remember it
ALTER and ALTAR sound alike but ALTER has an E, as in 'changE'; you alter to make it other.
A little poem
Snip the hem, shift the line, take in the seam-
alter the cloth and you alter the dream.
couplet
Wordplay
- The tailor and the priest both work near the same word - one alters the suit, the other waits at the altar.
What it teaches
To alter is not to destroy; growth is mostly the same self, re-hemmed to fit a wider life.
Quick facts
What does ALTER mean?
To make or become different in some respect without changing into something else.
Is ALTER a valid word?
Yes — ALTER is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is ALTER?
ALTER has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does ALTER come from?
From Latin 'alter' meaning 'the other (of two)', via Late Latin 'alterare' (to make other) and Old French 'alterer'; to alter is literally to make a thing 'other'.
What can ALTER teach us?
To alter is not to destroy; growth is mostly the same self, re-hemmed to fit a wider life.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.