alter | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

67 entries found.

mid-14c. (transitive); late 14c. (intransitive), from Old French variier "be changed, go astray; change, alter, transform" and directly from Latin variare "change, alter, make different," from varius "varied, different, spotted;" perhaps related to varus "bent, crooked, knock-kneed," and varix "varicose vein," and, more distantly, to Old English wearte "wart," Swedish varbulde "pus swelling," Latin verruca "wart." Related: Varied; varying.

brainwashing (n.)

"attempt to alter or control the thoughts and beliefs of another person against his will by psychological techniques," 1950, a literal translation of Chinese xi nao. A term from the Korean War.

emend (v.)

"remove faults from, alter for the better," c. 1400, from Latin emendare "to free from fault, correct, improve, revise," from assimilated form of ex "out" (see ex-) + mendum (nominative menda) "fault, blemish" (see amend). Related: Emended; emending.

metamorphose (v.)

"to change into a different form, alter or modify the shape or character of," 1570s, from French métamorphoser (16c.), from métamorphose (n.), from Latin metamorphosis (see metamorphosis). Related: Metamorphosed. The Greek verb was metamorphoun.

interpolation (n.)

1610s, "act of interpolating;" 1670s, "that which is interpolated," from French interpolation (17c.) or directly from Latin interpolationem (nominative interpolatio), noun of action from past participle stem of interpolare "to alter; falsify" (see interpolate).

doctor (v.)

1590s, "to confer the degree of doctor on," from doctor (n.). Meaning "to treat as a doctor, administer medical treatment to" is from 1712; sense of "alter, disguise for the purpose of deception, falsify" is from 1774. Related: Doctored; doctoring.

changeable (adj.)

mid-13c., "unstable, inconstant, unreliable," from Old French changeable "inconstant," from changier "to alter; exchange; to switch" (see change (v.)) + -able (see -able). Meaning "subject to variation" is from late 14c. Related: Changeably; changeability.

reposition (v.)

also re-position, 1859, "to put (something) in a new or adjusted position," from re- "again" + position (v.). Intransitive sense of "adjust or alter one's position" is by 1947. Related: Repositioned; repositioning.

denature (v.)

"alter (something) so as to change its nature," 1878, from French dénaturer (Old French desnaturer "change the nature of; make unnatural"); see de- + nature. Earlier it meant "to make unnatural" (1680s). Earlier in the modern sense of denature was denaturalize (1812). Related: Denatured.

codicil (n.)

"a writing added to a will to explain, alter, add to, or revoke original terms," early 15c., from Latin codicillus "a short writing, a small writing tablet," diminutive of codex (genitive codicis) "book" (see code (n.)). Related: Codicillary.

Page 3

Trending words