alternation
alternation Lexical Profile
alternation Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The repeated occurrence of two or more things in turn; the act or process of alternating.
"The regular alternation of day and night governs the biological rhythms of most living organisms."
In linguistics, the systematic variation in the form of a linguistic unit (such as a phoneme or morpheme) depending on its phonetic or grammatical environment.
"Vowel alternation explains the difference in pronunciation between the words 'divine' and 'divinity'."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'alternation' (taking turns or occurring in repeated succession) with 'alteration' (a change or modification).
• Rhymes for alternation
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 16th century from Latin 'alternationem', a noun of action from 'alternare' (to do by turns), derived from 'alternus' (one after the other) and 'alter' (the other).