Where does “alternating caps” come from?
alternating caps (English) comes from English alternating, from English alternate, from Latin alternātus, from Latin alternō, from Latin alternus, from Latin alter, from Proto-Indo-European h₂élteros, from Proto-Indo-European h₂el- — to grow, nourish; beyond, other; to wander, roam.
alternating caps (English): A form of capitalization where capital letters are placed throughout the word(s), formerly used in the script kiddie subculture and now to convey mockery through text messages or in online discussions
Definitions
- A form of capitalization where capital letters are placed throughout the word(s), formerly used in the script kiddie subculture and now to convey mockery through text messages or in online discussions
Ancestry of “alternating caps”, step by step
alternating caps traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English alternating
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | alternating | present participle of alternate; That alternates;... |
| 2 | English | alternate | Happening by turns; one following the other in... |
| 3 | Latin | alternātus | alternated, vacillated |
| 4 | Latin | alternō | to do one thing and then another, do by turns, interchange, alternate |
| 5 | Latin | alternus | alternate (one after the other), successive |
| 6 | Latin | alter | the other, the second; the one...the other |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂élteros | other , second |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂el- | to grow, nourish; beyond, other; to wander, roam |