English
alter
Alter comes from Old French alterer, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-root as named · steps between not traced
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400alterer
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598alter
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-root as named · steps between not traced
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400alterer
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598alter
Earliest quotation: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “No power in Venice can alter a decree.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-
as, all, old, else, el, adult, element, ultimate, ellen, alien, ultra, outrage, ou, elder, qualification, alumni, adolescent, altitude, abolish, alpine, altar, alias, alt, proletariat, auld, alum, alimony, alibi, alto, retaliate, alp, parallax, altruism, coalesce, aad, eld, foetal, ulterior, althea, exalt, 67 more
Today it means
verb To change the form or structure of.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- / alter