Etymograph

English

alter

Alter comes from Old French alterer, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-1root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400alterer1
  3. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598alter1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English alter
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “No power in Venice can alter a decree.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-Wiktionary, English alterroot named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400altererWiktionary, English alter
  3. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598alterWiktionary, English alter. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “No power in Venice can alter a decree.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

as, all, old, else, el, adult, element, ultimate, ellen, alien, ultra, outrage, ou, elder, qualification, alumni, adolescent, altitude, abolish, alpine, altar, alias, alt, proletariat, auld, alum, alimony, alibi, alto, retaliate, alp, parallax, altruism, coalesce, aad, eld, foetal, ulterior, althea, exalt, 66 more

Today it means

verb To change the form or structure of.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “alter”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- / alter

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