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altercate

[ awl-ter-keyt ]
/ ˈɔl tərˌkeɪt /
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verb (used without object), al·ter·cat·ed, al·ter·cat·ing.
to argue or quarrel with zeal, heat, or anger; wrangle.
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Origin of altercate

1530–40; <Latin altercātus (past participle of altercārī to quarrel), equivalent to *alterc(us) a disputing (alter other + -cus formative suffix) + -ātus-ate1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use altercate in a sentence

  • As far as I can make out that means me and the rest of the battery altercate every other night.

British Dictionary definitions for altercate

altercate
/ (ˈɔːltəˌkeɪt) /

verb
(intr) to argue, esp heatedly; dispute

Word Origin for altercate

C16: from Latin altercārī to quarrel with another, from alter other
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
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