alternate
34
3.9
- adjective
- /ˈɔːltərnɪt/
:
alterno
- The seasons change in an alternate pattern, switching from summer to winter.
- alternate days
- alternate weeks
There is alternate day fasting, twice weekly fasting.
- There is alternate day fasting, twice weekly fasting.
Examples
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We will meet on alternate Tuesdays to discuss the project.
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There is alternate day fasting, twice weekly fasting.
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It's an alternate reality game.
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Motorists are advised to use alternate routes.
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Alternate weekends, alternate vacations, one month in the summer.
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And so you're now trying to find an alternate path to companionship.
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Fourth graders participate in tumbling and martial arts on alternate days and basketball every day.
Academic text (2006) -
In this game, players use alternate strategies to keep things interesting.
Synonyms
Happening one after another, like day then night
Antonyms
How Often
141
3.7
870
1.0
34
3.9
35
6.5
285
2.8
35
7.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
alternate = altern + ate
The sense 'every other/in turn' directly matches the combining form 'altern-' plus the adjectival/verb-forming suffix '-ate', so learners can derive the meaning from the base idea of alternating.
Etymology
Alternate comes from the Latin root alter, which means 'other', so think of a pattern of 'one, then the other'. That is why alternate often means happening 'every other' time or in a regular turn.