[awl-ter-ney-shuh
n, al-] 
| 1. | the act or process of alternating or the state of being alternated. |
| 2. | alternate succession; repeated rotation: the alternation of the seasons. |
| 3. | 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. |
| 4. | 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. |
| al·ter·na·tion (ôl'tər-nā'shən, āl'-) n. Successive change from one thing or state to another and back again. |
alternation al·ter·na·tion (ôl'tər-nā'shən, āl'-)
n.
Successive change from one thing or state to another and back again.
