Alterative
(Al"ter*a*tive), n. A medicine or treatment which gradually induces a change, and restores
healthy functions without sensible evacuations.
Altercate
(Al"ter*cate) v. i. [imp. & p. p. Altercated; p. pr. & vb. n. Altercating.] [L. altercatus, p. p.
of altercare, altercari, fr. alter another. See Alter.] To contend in words; to dispute with zeal, heat,
or anger; to wrangle.
Altercation
(Al`ter*ca"tion) n. [F. altercation, fr. L. altercatio.] Warm contention in words; dispute carried
on with heat or anger; controversy; wrangle; wordy contest. "Stormy altercations." Macaulay.
Syn. — Altercation, Dispute, Wrangle. The term dispute is in most cases, but not necessarily, applied
to a verbal contest; as, a dispute on the lawfulness of war. An altercation is an angry dispute between
two parties, involving an interchange of severe language. A wrangle is a confused and noisy altercation.
Their whole life was little else than a perpetual wrangling and altercation.
Hakewill.
Altercative
(Al"ter*ca*tive) a. Characterized by wrangling; scolding. [R.] Fielding.
Alterity
(Al*ter"i*ty) n. [F. altérité.] The state or quality of being other; a being otherwise. [R.]
For outness is but the feeling of otherness (alterity) rendered intuitive, or alterity visually represented.
Coleridge.
Altern
(Al"tern) a. [L. alternus, fr. alter another: cf. F. alterne.] Acting by turns; alternate. Milton.
Altern base (Trig.), a second side made base, in distinction from a side previously regarded as base.
Alternacy
(Al*ter"na*cy) n. Alternateness; alternation. [R.] Mitford.
Alternant
(Al*ter"nant) a. [L. alternans, p. pr.: cf. F. alternant. See Alternate, v. t.] (Geol.) Composed
of alternate layers, as some rocks.
Alternate
(Al*ter"nate) a. [L. alternatus, p. p. of alternate, fr. alternus. See Altern, Alter.]
1. Being or succeeding by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; by turns first one
and then the other; hence, reciprocal.
And bid alternate passions fall and rise.
Pope.
2. Designating the members in a series, which regularly intervene between the members of another
series, as the odd or even numbers of the numerals; every other; every second; as, the alternate members
1, 3, 5, 7, etc. ; read every alternate line.
3. (Bot.) Distributed, as leaves, singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects
angular divergence. Gray.
Alternate alligation. See Alligation. — Alternate angles (Geom.), the internal and angles made by
two lines with a third, on opposite sides of it. It the parallels AB, CD, are cut by the line EF, the angles
AGH, GHD, as also the angles BGH and GHC, are called alternate angles. — Alternate generation.
(Biol.) See under Generation.
Alternate
(Al*ter"nate) n.
1. That which alternates with something else; vicissitude. [R.]
Grateful alternates of substantial.
Prior.
2. A substitute; one designated to take the place of another, if necessary, in performing some duty.
