English Dictionary: alter | by the DICT Development Group |
3 results for alter | |
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Alter \Al"ter\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Altered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Altering}.] [F. alt[82]rer, LL. alterare, fr. L. alter other, alius other. Cf. {Else}, {Other}.] 1. To make otherwise; to change in some respect, either partially or wholly; to vary; to modify. [bd]To alter the king's course.[b8] [bd]To alter the condition of a man.[b8] [bd]No power in Venice can alter a decree.[b8] --Shak. It gilds all objects, but it alters none. --Pope. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. --Ps. lxxxix. 34. 2. To agitate; to affect mentally. [Obs.] --Milton. 3. To geld. [Colloq.] Syn: {Change}, {Alter}. Usage: Change is generic and the stronger term. It may express a loss of identity, or the substitution of one thing in place of another; alter commonly expresses a partial change, or a change in form or details without destroying identity. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Alter \Al"ter\, v. i. To become, in some respects, different; to vary; to change; as, the weather alters almost daily; rocks or minerals alter by exposure. [bd]The law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.[b8] --Dan. vi. 8. |