Alter

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɒl.tə/

Definitions

1. To change or modify something in character or composition
2. To modify or change an object or situation in appearance, form, or function
3. To make a change to something's characteristics or structure, resulting in a different outcome or aspect

Etymology: Medieval Latin had a word for making something other than it was: "alterare," literally "to make other," built from "alter," meaning "the other" of two. The "-ter" ending is a comparative suffix, the same piece that gives English words like "either" and "neither," so the verb's core idea is a shift toward a second state. Old French took it up as "alterer," and English borrowed it from there, so the verb carries a medieval sense of change rather than a classical one. The Latin "alter" is also the source of "alter ego," which literally means "other self." Some sources suggest the verb may be linked to that phrase, but this connection is uncertain, and the root meaning of "other" is the clearer thread running through the word.

Synonyms: change, modify, adjust, revise, transform

Antonyms: preserve, maintain, leave unchanged, stabilize, retain