Al"ter*nate (?; 277), v. t. [imp. &
p. p. Alternated; p. pr. & vb. n.
Alternating.] [L. alternatus, p. p. of alternare. See
Altern.] To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to
succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
The most high God, in all things appertaining unto this
life, for sundry wise ends alternates the disposition of good and
evil.
Grew.
Al*ter"nate (?; 277), n. 1.
That which alternates with something else; vicissitude. [R.]
Grateful alternates of substantial.
Prior.
2. A substitute; one designated to take the place
of another, if necessary, in performing some duty.
3. (Math.) A proportion derived from another
proportion by interchanging the means.
Al*ter"nate (?; 277), a. [L.
alternatus, p. p. of alternate, fr. alternus. See
Altern, Alter.] 1. Being or succeeding
by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; by turns
first one and then the other; hence, reciprocal.
And bid alternate passions fall and rise.
Pope.
2. Designating the members in a series, which
regularly intervene between the members of another series, as the odd or
even numbers of the numerals; every other; every second; as, the
alternate members 1, 3, 5, 7, etc. ; read every alternate
line.
3. (Bot.) Distributed, as leaves, singly at
different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular
divergence. Gray.
Alternate alligation. See Alligation.
-- Alternate angles (Geom.), the internal and
angles made by two lines with a third, on opposite sides of it. It the
parallels AB, CD, are cut by the line EF, the angles AGH, GHD, as also the
angles BGH and GHC, are called alternate angles. --
Alternate generation. (Biol.) See under
Generation.
Al"ter*nate, v. i. 1. To
happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or time;
-- followed by with; as, the flood and ebb tides alternate
with each other.
Rage, shame, and grief alternate in his breast.
J. Philips.
Different species alternating with each other.
Kirwan.
2. To vary by turns; as, the land alternates
between rocky hills and sandy plains.