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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Alter \Al"ter\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Altered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Altering}.] [F. alt['e]rer, LL. alterare, fr. L. alter other, alius other. Cf. {Else}, {Other}.]
1. To make otherwise; to change in some respect, either partially or wholly; to vary; to modify. ''To alter the king's course.'' ''To alter the condition of a man.'' ''No power in Venice can alter a decree.'' --Shak.
It gilds all objects, but it alters none. --Pope.
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. --Ps. lxxxix. 34.
2. To agitate; to affect mentally. [Obs.] --Milton.
3. To geld. [Colloq.]
Syn: {Change}, {Alter}.
Usage: Change is generic and the stronger term. It may express a loss of identity, or the substitution of one thing in place of another; alter commonly expresses a partial change, or a change in form or details without destroying identity.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
altering
noun: the sterilization of an animal; "they took him to the vet for neutering" [syn: {neutering}, {fixing}]
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |