different between alter vs soften

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???l.t?/, /??l.t?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??l.t?/
• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /??l.t?/
• Rhymes: -??lt?(?)
• Homophone: altar
• Hyphenation: al?ter

Etymology 1

From Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterare (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”), from al- (seen in alius (“other”), alienus (“of another”), etc.; see alias, alien, etc.) + compar. suffix -ter.

Verb

alter (third-person singular simple present alters, present participle altering, simple past and past participle altered)

1. (transitive) To change the form or structure of.
2. (intransitive) To become different.
3. (transitive) To tailor clothes to make them fit.
4. (transitive) To castrate, neuter or spay (a dog or other animal).
5. (transitive) To affect mentally, as by psychotropic drugs or illness.
   • 2016 February 10, Sydney Pruitt and Claire Ricke (quoting Jeff Barrick), "Police: Man lying in street hit, killed by Capital Metro bus", KXAN:

     We don't know if he was altered on alcohol or drugs or anything […]

Alternative forms

• altre (obsolete)

Derived terms

Related terms

• alteration
• alternate
• alternative

Translations

Further reading

• alter in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• alter in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Etymology 2

Probably from alter ego.

Noun

alter (plural alters)

1. (especially in the plural) An identity or headmate of a person with dissociative identity disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder).
   • As this is a medicalized term, many people with DID may choose not to use this word in response to the stigma surrounding it. Others choose to use it as a way to "reclaim" the word.

References

• MPD/DID Glossary
• DID Research: Alters

Etymology 3

Noun

alter (plural alters)

1. (proscribed) Alternative form of altar.
   • 2002, Nicholas Smeed, Resurrections: Vignettes About Discovery, Relationships, Personal Empowerment, And Preternatural Experiences, Xlibris Corporation (?ISBN), page 26:

     As an alter boy he remembered that walking between the alter and the gates was prohibited for everyone except the priest.

   • 2007, Jerry P. Martinez, Leche De Coyote, Xlibris Corporation (?ISBN), page 39:

     The hardest part of being an alter boy was learning Latin. The mass was conducted in Latin and we had to learn to pray in Latin.

   • 2009, Todd Sprague, Survive, Todd Sprague (?ISBN), page 142:

     On the alter, several candles sat unlit. An open bible rested among the candles. Behind the alter, hanging high, a huge cross was affixed to the wall, with a replica of Jesus in rags nailed to it. A simple wooden door stood closed behind the alter […]

   • 2011, Suzanne Dekeyzer James, The Stone Harp, Xlibris Corporation (?ISBN), page 146:

     Truth motioned to Alexandra, “There; the key is kept on the alter.” She spotted it easily, for it was now well lighted by an amber colored presence light. She and the others moved quickly toward the alter.

   • 2018, William Francis Jack, Alter Boy Rules, Lulu Press, Inc (?ISBN)

     Third-rate alter boy. Skinny, lousy face, brown hair with a cowlick as big as Sputtnik. So as not to go on about it, I can put it in one word: Butt-ugly.

Usage notes

Usually considered a misspelling.

Anagrams

• Alert, alert, altre, artel, later, ratel, taler, telar

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse altari, from Old Saxon altari, from Late Latin altare (“altar”). Cognate with English altar and German Altar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?ald??]

Noun

alter n (singular definite altret or alteret, plural indefinite altre)

1. (religion) altar, a table or a platform for making sacrifices.
2. (Christianity) altar, the ritual space of a Christian church.

Inflection

References

“alter” in Den Danske Ordbog

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??alt?/

Adjective

alter

1. inflection of alt:
   1. strong/mixed nominative masculine singular
   2. strong genitive/dative feminine singular
   3. strong genitive plural

Indonesian

Etymology

From English alter, from Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterare (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?alt??r]
• Hyphenation: al?tèr

Pronunciation influenced by Latin alter.

Verb

alter

1. to alter, to tailor clothes to make them fit.

Further reading

• “alter” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h?élteros (“the other of two”) (akin to English other). Akin to alius. Confer with ulter.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /?al.ter/, [?ä??t??r]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /?al.ter/, [??l?t??r]

Adjective

alter (feminine altera, neuter alterum); first/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal)

1. the other, the second
2. the one...the other (alter...alter)

Declension

First/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er, pronominal).

Derived terms

• adulter
• altercor
• alter?
• alteruter

Related terms

Descendants

References

• alter in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• alter in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• alter in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book?^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.

Lombard

Etymology

From altro.

Adjective

alter

1. other

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Noun

alter n (definite singular alteret / altret, indefinite plural alter / altere / altre, definite plural altera / altra / altrene)

1. an altar

Etymology 2

Noun

alter m

1. indefinite plural of alt

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• altar

Noun

alter n (definite singular alteret, indefinite plural alter, definite plural altera)

1. an altar

English

Etymology

From Middle English softenen, softnen, equivalent to soft +? -en.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s?f?n/, enPR: s?f?en
• (US) IPA^(key): /?s?f?n/, enPR: sôf?en
• (US, cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /?s?f?n/, enPR: s?f?en

Verb

soften (third-person singular simple present softens, present participle softening, simple past and past participle softened)

1. (transitive) To make something soft or softer.

   Soften the butter before beating in the sugar.

2. (transitive) To undermine the morale of someone (often soften up).

   Before the invasion, we softened up the enemy with the artillery.

3. (transitive) To make less harsh

   Having second thoughts, I softened my criticism.
4. (intransitive) To become soft or softer

   The butter softened as it warmed up.

Derived terms

• soften the ground
• softener

Translations

See also

• mollify
• neshen

Anagrams

• Sefton