Altering

How to spell altering

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce altering

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does altering mean?

1. verbIn the process of making something different in detail without changing it completely.

Altering in a sentence

• The tailor is altering the trousers to fit my shorter legs.

• Altering the recipe slightly gave the cake a richer flavour.

Where does altering come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is the present participle of the verb 'alter', which English took from the Old French alterer in the late 1300s. That French verb traced back to the Latin alterare, meaning 'to make other' or 'to change', built directly on alter, the Latin word for 'other' or 'the other of two'. The literal idea is that to alter something is to make it other than it was, a sense that survives intact in the modern meaning of changing or modifying. The same Latin alter sits behind a family of familiar relatives, including 'alternative', 'alternate', and 'altercation'. A useful spelling note is that this 'alter' (with -er) is a different word entirely from 'altar' (with -ar), the raised table in a place of worship, even though the two sound alike.

How the word is built

• alter (from Latin alter: other, to change)
• -ing (present participle suffix)