|ȯltəˈrē(ˌ)gō also |äl- or -ˈre- or -təˈē or -təˈe- sometimes |al- noun
( plural alter egos )
Etymology: Latin, literally, second I
: a second self:
a. : a trusted friend
John became his alter ego
b. : a confidential representative
his political alter ego
c. : a guardian spirit often represented in So. and Central American Indian carvings by the figure of an animal on the head, back, or shoulders of a human being
d. : the opposite side of a personality
e. : counterpart 3