I. ˈȯltə(r) verb
( altered ; altered ; altering ˈȯltəriŋ, ˈȯl.triŋ ; alters )
Etymology: Middle English alteren, from Middle French alterer, from Medieval Latin alterare, from Latin alter other (of two); akin to Latin alius other — more at else
transitive verb
1. : to cause to become different in some particular characteristic (as measure, dimension, course, arrangement, or inclination) without changing into something else
to the extent of a monosyllable the text has here been altered — J.B.Cabell & A.J.Hanna
preserve it as it is or … alter it out of all recognition — Aldous Huxley
2. archaic : to affect mentally : agitate
the altered mood of terror
3. : to castrate or spay (as a domestic mammal)
intransitive verb
: to become different in some respect : undergo change usually without resulting difference in essential nature
the old witch had not altered by a wrinkle in twenty years — Compton Mackenzie
people themselves alter so much that there is something new to be observed in them for ever — Jane Austen
customs that must alter with every new invention — Herbert Agar
Synonyms: see change
II. ˈȯltə(r) also ˈäl- sometimes ˈal- adjective
or al·te·rum -tərəm, -ˌru̇m
Etymology: Latin
: other — used of something that is distinguished from the ego or especially of other persons as contrasted with the ego