alter. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

alter

SYLLABICATION:	al·ter
PRONUNCIATION:	ôltr
VERB:	Inflected forms: al·tered, al·ter·ing, al·ters
TRANSITIVE VERB:	1. To change or make different; modify: altered my will. 2. To adjust (a garment) for a better fit. 3. To castrate or spay (an animal, such as a cat or a dog).
INTRANSITIVE VERB:	To change or become different.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English alteren, from Old French alterer, from Medieval Latin alterre, from Latin alter, other. See al-¹ in Appendix I.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.