To change something, usually in a small or partial way, rather than completely replacing it. It can refer to changing clothes, plans, or ideas.
From Latin *alterāre*, “to make other, change,” based on *alter* meaning “other (of two).” Through Old French *alterer*, it entered Middle English with the sense of making something different.
Hidden in “alter” is the Latin word for “other,” so to alter something is to make it “other than it was.” That means every little tweak moves a thing into a slightly different identity. Tailors, editors, and even software developers are all professional “other-makers.”
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