alternant

[awl-tur-nuh nt, al- or, esp. British, awl-tur-nuh nt, al-]

adjective

noun

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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for alternant

alternant

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