different between alternating vs fickle

English

Verb

alternating

1. present participle of alternate

Adjective

alternating (not comparable)

1. That alternates.
2. (mathematics, of a knot) Having a planar diagram whose crossings alternate between "over" and "under" as one travels along the knot.
3. (mathematics, of a series) Having terms that alternate between positive and negative.
4. (mathematics, of a multilinear mapping with all arguments belonging to the same space) Whose value is zero when any two adjacent arguments are equal.

Translations

Derived terms

• alternating current

Further reading

• Alternating multilinear map on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?f?k.?l/
• Rhymes: -?k?l

Etymology 1

From Middle English fikil, fikel, from Old English ficol (“fickle, cunning, tricky, deceitful”), equivalent to fike +? -le. More at fike.

Adjective

fickle (comparative fickler or more fickle, superlative ficklest or most fickle)

1. Quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance; insincere; not loyal or reliable.
2. (figuratively) Changeable.
   • 2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)[1]

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English fikelen, from fikel (“fickle”); see above. Cognate with Low German fikkelen (“to deceive, flatter”), German ficklen, ficheln (“to deceive, flatter”).

Verb

fickle (third-person singular simple present fickles, present participle fickling, simple past and past participle fickled)

1. (transitive) To deceive, flatter.
2. (transitive, Britain dialectal) To puzzle, perplex, nonplus.

Anagrams

• Fickel