different between alternative vs say
alternative
English
Etymology
From Middle French alternatif, from Medieval Latin altern?t?vus (“alternating”), from the participle stem of Latin altern? (“interchange, alternate”). Compare alternate.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /?l.?t??(?).n?.t?v/
- (US) IPA(key): /?l.?t?.n?.t?v/
- (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /?l.?t?.n?.t?v/
Adjective
alternative (not comparable)
- Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities.
- (linguistics) Presenting two or more alternatives.
- Synonym: disjunctive
- Other; different from something else.
- Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground.
- alternative medicine; alternative lifestyle; alternative rock
- (obsolete) Alternate, reciprocal.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Noun
alternative (plural alternatives)
- A situation which allows a mutually exclusive choice between two or more possibilities; a choice between two or more possibilities. [from 17th c.]
- 1817, Walter Scott, Rob Roy, XI:
- ‘The cloister or a betrothed husband?’ I echoed—‘Is that the alternative destined for Miss Vernon?’
- 1817, Walter Scott, Rob Roy, XI:
- One of several mutually exclusive things which can be chosen. [from 17th c.]
- 1803, Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison[1]:
- Between these alternatives there is no middle ground. The Constitution is either a superior, paramount law, unchangeable by ordinary means, or it is on a level with ordinary legislative acts, and, like other acts, is alterable when the legislature shall please to alter it.
- 1803, Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison[1]:
- The remaining option; something available after other possibilities have been exhausted. [from 18th c.]
- (uncountable, music) alternative rock
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:option
Translations
See also
- variant
References
- alternative in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- alternative in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Esperanto
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /alterna?tive/
- Rhymes: -ive
Adverb
alternative
- alternatively
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /al.t??.na.tiv/
- Homophone: alternatives
Adjective
alternative
- feminine singular of alternatif
Noun
alternative f (plural alternatives)
- alternative
Further reading
- “alternative” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
German
Pronunciation
Adjective
alternative
- inflection of alternativ:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Italian
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ive
Adjective
alternative
- feminine plural of alternativo
Noun
alternative f
- plural of alternativa
Anagrams
- alternatevi
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /al.ter.na??ti?.u?e/, [ä??t??rnä??t?i?u??]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /al.ter.na?ti.ve/, [?l?t??rn??t?i?v?]
Adjective
altern?t?ve
- vocative masculine singular of altern?t?vus
Norwegian Bokmål
Adjective
alternative
- inflection of alternativ:
- definite singular
- plural
Norwegian Nynorsk
Adjective
alternative
- inflection of alternativ:
- definite singular
- plural
Swedish
Adjective
alternative
- absolute definite natural masculine form of alternativ.
alternative From the web:
- what alternative mean
- what alternatives are there to facebook
- what alternatives are there to google
- what alternatives are there to cable tv
- what alternatives are there to animal testing
- what alternative milk is best for the environment
- what alternative milk is best
- what alternative to youtube
say
English
Pronunciation
- enPR: s?, IPA(key): /se?/
- Rhymes: -e?
Etymology 1
From Middle English seyen, seien, seggen, from Old English se??an (“to say, speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *saggjan, from Proto-Germanic *sagjan? (“to say”), from Proto-Indo-European *sok?-h?-yé-, a suffixed o-grade form of *sek?- (“to tell, talk”).
Cognate with West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Danish sige (“to say”), Norwegian Bokmål si (“to say”), Norwegian Nynorsk seia (“to say”), Swedish säga (“to say”).
The adverb and interjection are from the verb.
Alternative forms
- saie, saye, seye (obsolete)
- thay, zay (pronunciation spelling)
Verb
say (third-person singular simple present says, present participle saying, simple past and past participle said)
- (transitive) To pronounce.
- (transitive) To recite.
- (transitive) To tell, either verbally or in writing.
- 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
- I want to say I’m sorry for yesterday. — It’s okay, Anna.
- I want to say I’m sorry for yesterday. — It’s okay, Anna.
- 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
- (transitive) To indicate in a written form.
- (impersonal, transitive) To have a common expression; used in singular passive voice or plural active voice to indicate a rumor or well-known fact.
- 1815, George Gordon Byron, The Hebrew Melodies/They say that Hope is happiness:
- They say that Hope is happiness; But genuine Love must prize the past.
- 1819, Great Britain Court of Chancery, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the High Court of Chancery, page 8:
- It is said, a bargain cannot be set aside upon inadequacy only.
- 1841, Christopher Marshall, The Knickerbocker (New-York Monthly Magazine), page 379:
- It’s said that fifteen wagon loads of ready-made clothes for the Virginia troops came to, and stay in, town to-night.
- 1815, George Gordon Byron, The Hebrew Melodies/They say that Hope is happiness:
- (informal, imperative, transitive) Suppose, assume; used to mark an example, supposition or hypothesis.
- Say your family is starving and you don't have any money, is it okay to steal some food?
- 1984, Martin Amis, Money: a suicide note
- I've followed Selina down the strip, when we're shopping, say, and she strolls on ahead, wearing sawn-off jeans and a wash-withered T-shirt […]
- (intransitive) To speak; to express an opinion; to make answer; to reply.
- (transitive, informal, of a possession, especially money) To bet as a wager on an outcome; by extension, used to express belief in an outcome by the speaker.
Conjugation
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
say (plural says)
- A chance to speak; the right or power to influence or make a decision.
Translations
Adverb
say (not comparable)
- For example; let us assume.
Interjection
say
- (colloquial) Used to gain someone's attention before making an inquiry or suggestion
Synonyms
- (used to gain attention): hey
References
- say in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- say in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Etymology 2
From Middle French saie, from Latin saga, plural of sagum (“military cloak”).
Noun
say (countable and uncountable, plural says)
- A type of fine cloth similar to serge.
Etymology 3
Aphetic form of assay.
Verb
say (third-person singular simple present says, present participle saying, simple past and past participle sayed)
- To try; to assay.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)
Noun
say (plural says)
- Trial by sample; assay; specimen.
- 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, page 193
- If those principal works of God […] be but certain tastes and says, as if were, of that final benefit.
- 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, page 193
- Tried quality; temper; proof.
- Essay; trial; attempt.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)
Etymology 4
Noun
say (plural says)
- (Scotland) A strainer for milk.
Anagrams
- AYs, ays, yas
Azerbaijani
Etymology 1
Deverbal of saymaq.
Noun
say (definite accusative say?, plural saylar)
- number, quantity, count
- Synonyms: ?d?d, r?q?m
- (grammar) numeral
- (colloquial) value, importance
Etymology 2
From Proto-Turkic *say.
Noun
say (definite accusative say?, plural saylar)
- shallow, shoal
Declension
Crimean Tatar
Noun
say
- shallow place, island
Declension
References
- Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajins?ko-kryms?kotatars?kyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]?[4], Simferopol: Dolya, ?ISBN
Middle English
Noun
say
- Alternative form of assay
Portuguese
Verb
say
- Obsolete spelling of sai
Tatar
Noun
say
- area covered with stones
Turkish
Verb
say
- second-person singular imperative of saymak
Vietnamese
Etymology
From Proto-Vietic *p-ri? (“drunk”); cognate with Muong khay, Arem p?r??.
Pronunciation
- (Hà N?i) IPA(key): [saj??]
- (Hu?) IPA(key): [?aj??]
- (H? Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [?a(?)j??] ~ [sa(?)j??]
Verb
say • (????)
- to be drunk; to be inebriated
- (by extension) to be (car, sea, etc.) sick
- (figuratively) to be enamoured of; to take a deep interest in
Derived terms
Adjective
say
- deep (of sleep); fast asleep
say From the web:
- what say you
- what say you meaning
- what day is it
- what say ye
- what says the time in california
- what day is thanksgiving
- what say you gif
- what say you podcast
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