Where does “alternate” come from?
Alternate comes from Latin alterno, derived from Latin alter meaning "other," which combines the prefix ad- with a root from Proto-Indo-European h₂éd.
alternate (English): Happening by turns; one following the other in...
Definitions
- Happening by turns; one following the other in...
Ancestry of “alternate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | alternātus | alternated, vacillated |
| 2 | Latin | alternō | to do one thing and then another, do by turns, interchange, alternate |
| 3 | Latin | alternus | alternate (one after the other), successive |
| 4 | Latin | alter | the other, the second; the one...the other |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂élteros | other , second |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂el- | to grow, nourish; beyond, other; to wander, roam |