alternation

[ awl-ter-ney-shuh n, al- ]

/ ˌɔl tərˈneɪ ʃən, ˌæl- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR alternation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of alternating or the state of being alternated.

alternate succession; repeated rotation: the alternation of the seasons.

Electricity. a single fluctuation in the absolute value of an alternating current or voltage from zero to a maximum and back to zero, being equal to one half cycle.

Linguistics. variation in the form of a linguistic unit as it occurs in different environments or under different conditions, as between the -ed and -en forms of the past participle in danced and spoken or between the (t) and (d) pronunciations of the past tense suffix -ed in hopped and rubbed.

Words nearby alternation

alternating pulse, alternating series, alternating tremor, alternating voltage, alternating-gradient focusing, alternation, alternation of generations, alternation of heart, alternative, alternative conjunction, alternative curriculum

Origin of alternation

First recorded in 1605–15, alternation is from the Late Latin word alternātiōn- (stem of alternātiō). See alternate, -ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for alternation

He inherits it all from his grandfather; upon, I suppose, what the learned people call, the system of alternation.
The Remarkable History of Sir Thomas Upmore, bart., M.P., formerly known as "Tommy Upmore"|R. D. Blackmore
These veinlets produce that alternation in mineral composition and banded structure which are essential in gneisses.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 2|Various
Without this alternation of drought and moisture recurring by law from year to year the labour of man would be in vain.
Expositor's Bible: The Book of Job|Robert Watson
But their progress is slow, and now comes a long and painful time of alternation between two states.
The Golden Fountain|Lilian Staveley

But increase or decrease the rate of alternation ever so slightly, and that sympathy between magnet and bar is destroyed.
Marvels of Scientific Invention|Thomas W. Corbin

British Dictionary definitions for alternation

alternation

/ (ˌɔːltəˈneɪʃən) /

noun

successive change from one condition or action to another and back again repeatedly

logic another name for disjunction (def. 3)

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

Medical definitions for alternation

alternation

[ ôl′tər-nā′shən, ăl′- ]

n.

Successive change from one thing or state to another and back again.

alternation

noun

Words related to alternation

Words nearby alternation

Origin of alternation

Examples from the Web for alternation

British Dictionary definitions for alternation

noun

Medical definitions for alternation

n.