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alternant

[ awl-tur-nuhnt, al- or, especially British, awl-tur-nuhnt, al- ]
/ ˈɔl tɜr nənt, ˈæl- or, especially British, ɔlˈtɜr nənt, æl- /
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adjective

alternating; alternate.

noun

Linguistics. a variant form that exists in alternation with another or others.

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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
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Origin of alternant

First recorded in 1630–40, alternant is from the Latin word alternant- (stem of alternāns, present participle of alternāre). See altern, -ant

Words nearby alternant

altered state of consciousness, alter ego, alter idem, altern, alternans, alternant, alternate, alternate angles, alternate binaural loudness balance test, alternate cover test, alternate hemianesthesia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for alternant

  • Vocibus alternant sensus, fraudisque jocos,Vim duplicem rident, lacrymosaque gaudia miscent.

    The Punster's Pocket-book|Charles Molloy Westmacott

British Dictionary definitions for alternant

alternant
/ (ɔːlˈtɜːnənt) /

adjective

alternating

Word Origin for alternant

C17: from French, from Latin alternāre to alternate
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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