Where does “alternating” come from?
Alternating comes from English alternate, from Latin alterno meaning "to do by turns," derived from Latin alter meaning "other" with the prefix ad- meaning "to."
alternating (English): present participle of alternate; That alternates;...
Definitions
- present participle of alternate; That alternates;...
Ancestry of “alternating”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | alternate | Happening by turns; one following the other in... |
| 2 | Latin | alternātus | alternated, vacillated |
| 3 | Latin | alternō | to do one thing and then another, do by turns, interchange, alternate |
| 4 | Latin | alternus | alternate (one after the other), successive |
| 5 | Latin | alter | the other, the second; the one...the other |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂élteros | other , second |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂el- | to grow, nourish; beyond, other; to wander, roam |