the.com/alternate
Taking turns so nobody has to admit someone's always winning.
means To switch back and forth between two or more things in turn, or (as an adjective) to describe something that happens by turns, or that serves as a substitute for the usual option.
from From Latin alternare, 'to do by turns,' built from alter, 'the other (of two).' The root sense is always about twoness — one, then the other, then back again — which is why an alternate route or alternate juror is the 'other one waiting its turn,' and why current can be alternating, switching direction over and over without ever committing to a side.
- grammar trap
- alternate means every other, not frequently, despite constant misuse
- stress shift
- verb alternates, noun or adjective alternates, same spelling different beat
- math cousin
- alternating series converges only if terms shrink toward zero
- backup meaning
- alternate route exists so you can blame traffic, not planning