Where does “alternating case” come from?
alternating case (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.
Ancestry of “alternating case”, step by step
alternating case 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 |
via English letter case
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | letter case | The distinction between majuscule (uppercase) and minuscule (lowercase) letters |