noun that which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
2. alternate ·noun a proportion derived from another proportion by interchanging the means.
3. alternate ·vi to vary by turns; as, the land alternates between rocky hills and sandy plains.
4. alternate ·vt to perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
5. alternate ·noun a substitute; one designated to take the place of another, if necessary, in performing some duty.
6. alternate ·adj distributed, as leaves, singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular divergence.
7. alternate ·adj being or succeeding by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; by turns first one and then the other; hence, reciprocal.
8. alternate ·vi to happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or time;
followed by with; as, the flood and ebb tides alternate with each other.
9. alternate ·adj designating the members in a series, which regularly intervene between the members of another series, as the odd or even numbers of the numerals; every other; every second; as, the alternate members 1, 3, 5, 7, ·etc. ; read every alternate line.