Altered

How to spell altered

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce altered

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does altered mean?

1. verbChanged or modified something so that it became different.
2. adjectiveHaving been changed from an original or normal condition.

Altered in a sentence

• verb

  The tailor altered the trousers so they fit him perfectly.

• adjective

  The bank rejected the altered cheque because the amount looked suspicious.

• verb

  She altered her travel plans after the meeting ran late.

• adjective

  An altered version of the contract was circulated by mistake.

Where does altered come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin alter, which literally meant 'the other one of two'. From that adjective medieval Latin built the verb alterare, meaning 'to make other' or 'to change'. English took it through Old French alterer in the late 1300s, and the past form 'altered' followed naturally as the verb settled into everyday use. The same alter root survives in familiar relatives such as 'alternate', 'alternative' and 'alter ego', all carrying the idea of otherness or switching. The spelling trap is twofold: the word keeps a single 't' (not 'altterred'), and it must not be confused with the unrelated noun 'altar', the table in a church, which sounds almost identical but comes from a different Latin source, altare.

How the word is built

• alter (from Latin alter: other)
• -ed (past tense / past participle suffix)