alternant

[ awl-tur-nuhnt, al- or, especially British, awl-tur-nuhnt, al- ]

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

Origin of alternant

1
First recorded in 1630–40, alternant is from the Latin word alternant- (stem of alternāns, present participle of alternāre). See altern, -ant

Words Nearby alternant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use alternant in a sentence

  • Vocibus alternant sensus, fraudisque jocos,Vim duplicem rident, lacrymosaque gaudia miscent.

    The Punster's Pocket-book | Charles Molloy Westmacott

British Dictionary definitions for alternant

alternant

/ (ɔːlˈtɜːnənt) /


adjective
  1. alternating

Origin of alternant

1
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