Alter

How to spell alter

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce alter

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does alter mean?

1. verbTo change something or make it different in some way.

Alter in a sentence

• The tailor agreed to alter the trousers so they would fit properly.

• A single late payment can alter your credit score significantly.

Where does alter come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin alterare, meaning 'to make other' or 'to change', which was built on alter, the ordinary Latin word for 'other' or 'the other of two'. The underlying idea is that to alter something is literally to make it other than it was. English took the word in during the late 1300s by way of Old French alterer, originally in contexts such as changing or modifying a state or condition. The same Latin alter root survives in a whole family of English words, including 'alternative', 'alternate', 'altercation', and 'alter ego', all of which carry that sense of otherness or switching between two things. It is worth keeping in mind that this verb is a true homophone of the noun 'altar', the raised table in a place of worship, which comes from an entirely unrelated Latin word altare tied to burnt offerings; the shared sound but separate origins are exactly why the two spellings get muddled.

How the word is built

• alter (from Latin alter: other, the other of two), used in English as a verb meaning to make different

Words that sound like alter

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• altar: A raised table or structure used as the focus of religious worship or ceremony.