alterative

[ awl-tuh-rey-tiv, -ter-uh-tiv ]

/ ˈɔl təˌreɪ tɪv, -tər ə tɪv /

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adjective

tending to alter.

Medicine/Medical Obsolete. gradually restoring healthy bodily functions.

noun

Medicine/Medical Obsolete. an alterative remedy.

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Origin of alterative

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word alterātīvus.See alter, -ative

Words nearby alterative

Alte Pinakothek, alter, alterable, alterant, alteration, alterative, altercate, altercation, altered chord, altered state of consciousness, alter ego

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alterative in a sentence

On the physical condition of the great body of people government acts not as a specific, but as an alterative.
The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States|James Hamilton Lewis
Does the skin undergo any alterative or destructive changes?
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin|Henry Weightman Stelwagon
Dose: Nervine and alterative, 1/6—1/3 grn.; emetic, 2—5 grn.
Merck's 1899 Manual|Merck & Co.
Nearly every alterative drug has had its period of popularity.
Psychotherapy|James J. Walsh

The Crystal Spring is somewhat alterative in its therapeutic effects.
Saratoga and How to See It|R. F. Dearborn

British Dictionary definitions for alterative

alterative

/ (ˈɔːltərətɪv) /

adjective

likely or able to produce alteration

obsolete (of a drug) able to restore normal health

noun

obsolete a drug that restores normal health

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012