alterative

al·ter·a·tive

A a

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [awl-tuh-rey-tiv, -ter-uh-tiv]
- /ˈɔl təˌreɪ tɪv, -tər ə tɪv/
- /ˈɔːl.tə.rə.tɪv/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [awl-tuh-rey-tiv, -ter-uh-tiv]
- /ˈɔl təˌreɪ tɪv, -tər ə tɪv/

Definitions of alterative word

adjective alterative likely or able to produce alteration 3
adjective alterative (of a drug) able to restore normal health 3
noun alterative a drug that restores normal health 3
adjective alterative causing or tending to cause alteration 3
adjective alterative tending to alter. 1
adjective alterative Medicine/Medical Obsolete. gradually restoring healthy bodily functions. 1

See all 10 definitions of alterative

Information block about the term

Origin of alterative

First appearance:

before 1350

One of the 20% oldest English words

First recorded in 1350-1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word alterātīvus. See alter, -ative

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Alterative

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Alterative

alterative popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 55% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 60% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

alterative usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer