alternate
    adj 1: every second one of a series; "the cleaning lady comes on
           alternate Wednesdays"; "jam every other day"- the White
           Queen
    2: serving or used in place of another; "an alternative plan"
       [syn: alternate, alternative, substitute]
    3: occurring by turns; first one and then the other;
       "alternating feelings of love and hate" [syn: alternate(a),
       alternating(a)]
    4: of leaves and branches etc; first on one side and then on the
       other in two ranks along an axis; not paired; "stems with
       alternate leaves" [ant: opposite, paired]
    n 1: someone who takes the place of another person [syn:
         surrogate, alternate, replacement]
    v 1: go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states
         or conditions [syn: alternate, jump]
    2: exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and
       functions
    3: be an understudy or alternate for a role [syn: understudy,
       alternate]
    4: reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action) [syn:
       interchange, tack, switch, alternate, flip, flip-
       flop]
    5: do something in turns; "We take turns on the night shift"
       [syn: alternate, take turns]

Alternate \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.
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            And bid alternate passions fall and rise. --Pope.
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   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.
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   3. (Bot.) Distributed, as leaves, singly at different heights
      of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular
      divergence. --Gray.
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   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.
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Alternate \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.
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         The most high God, in all things appertaining unto this
         life, for sundry wise ends alternates the disposition
         of good and evil.                        --Grew.
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Alternate \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.
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            Rage, shame, and grief alternate in his breast. --J.
                                                  Philips.
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            Different species alternating with each other.
                                                  --Kirwan.
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   2. To vary by turns; as, the land alternates between rocky
      hills and sandy plains.
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Alternate \Al*ter"nate\ (?; 277), n.
   1. That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
      [R.]
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            Grateful alternates of substantial.   --Prior.
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   2. A substitute; one designated to take the place of another,
      if necessary, in performing some duty.
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   3. (Math.) A proportion derived from another proportion by
      interchanging the means.
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