To make changes to something; to alter or modify.
From Latin alteratus, past participle of alterare (to change, make different), from alter (other). This rare or archaic form is essentially a synonym for 'alter' but preserves the Latin-derived form more directly.
This word is so old it barely survives in modern English, but you can see it hiding in 'alteration,' 'altered,' and 'alterative.' It's what linguists call a 'ghost word'—technically real but functionally replaced!
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