Alteration
/ˌɔːl.təˈreɪ.ʃən/noun
A change or modification in form, nature, or appearance.
Did you know?Alteration comes through Latin from *alter*, meaning “the other of two,” a root also behind words like “alternate” and “alter ego,” where identity itself is framed as a doubled, split thing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*al-tero-
“the other of two; second of a pair”
Latin
Latin
alter
“the other of two; one of two”
Late Latin
Latin
alterātiō
“a changing or altering”
Old French
Old French
alteracion
“change, alteration”
Middle English
English
alteracioun
“change, modification”
Modern English
English
alteration
“a change or modification”