alter

1. alter- => alter.
2. => change (something).

alter 改变

词根al, 异，不同。-ter, 比较级后缀。

alter

alter: [14] Alter comes from the Latin word for ‘other (of two)’, alter. In late Latin a verb was derived from this, alterāre, which English acquired via French altérer. Latin alter (which also gave French autre and English alternate [16], alternative [17], altercation [14], and altruism, not to mention alter ego) was formed from the root *al- (source of Latin alius – from which English gets alien, alias, and alibi – Greek allos ‘other’, and English else) and the comparative suffix *-tero-, which occurs also in English other.

Hence the underlying meaning of Latin alter (and, incidentally, of English other) is ‘more other’, with the implication of alternation between the two.
=> alias, alien, alternative, altruism, else

alter (v.)

late 14c., "to change (something)," from Old French alterer "change, alter," from Medieval Latin alterare "to change," from Latin alter "the other (of the two)," from PIE *al- "beyond" (see alias (adv.)) + comparative suffix -ter (as in other). Intransitive sense "to become otherwise" first recorded 1580s. Related: Altered; altering.

1. She is, first and foremost, her husband's alter ego.

她首先是丈夫的知己。

2. The current division of labor between workers and management will alter.

当前工人与管理部门的分工将会改变。

3. Barry Humphries's alter ego Dame Edna has taken the US by storm.

巴里·汉弗莱斯凭借埃德娜夫人一角轰动全美。

4. He denounces people who urge him to alter his ways.

他指责那些督促他改变习惯的人。

5. He is unlikely to alter his game plan.

他不大可能改变自己的策略。

【turn, transform, change, modify, convert, vary, alter】
这组词都有“变化，改变”的意思，其区别是：
turn: 指外形、颜色、气味、性质等方面的变化，比change更通俗。
transform: 指人或物在形状、外观、形式、性质等方面发生的彻底变化，失去原状成为全新的东西。
change: 指任何变化，完全改变，强调与原先的情况有明显的不同。
modify: 强调起限定作用的变化或变更。指细小的变化，常含“缓和、降调”的意味。
convert: 指进行全部或局部改变以适应新的功能或用途。指信仰或态度时，强调较激烈、大的改变。
vary: 暗示不规则或断断续续地变。
alter: 常指轻微的改变，强调基本上保持原物、原状的情况下所进行的部分改变。

【transform, rectify, adjust, modify, convert, amend, vary, alter, regulate】
这组词都有“调整、改变”的意思，其区别是：
transform: v.指彻底、深远的改变，这种变化完全改变了外观或特性，使被改变的对象脱胎换骨。
• Remodeling transformed an old, dark house into a cheerful one. 重新装修使这所陈旧昏暗的房子变得赏心悦目。
rectify: v.纠正，校正(错误、文章、合同等)。
• He rectified the mistake in the contract by changing its wording. 他通过改变措辞纠正了合同里的错误。
adjust: v.一般指很小的改变或技术性的调整；修理。
• I adjusted the air conditioner to stay cool. 我调节了空调以保持凉爽。
modify: v.改变，修改，以使某物更趋完善，还可以用来表示态度、脾气、意见变得温和。
• He was loud and angry, and his friends told him to modify his behavior. 他粗声大气，脾气暴躁；朋友们告诉他要改变自己的举止。
convert: v.改变某事物的形式或用途，还可以指改变信仰尤其是宗教信仰。
• Britain converted to a decimal currency system in 1971. 英国于1971年改用十进制货币体系。
• He's converted to Catholicism. 他已经皈依天主教。
amend: v. (正式用语)指修改文件、法律、规范等。
• The politicians amended the law to provide more jobs. 政治家们修正了这项法律以提供更多的就业。
vary: v.强调没有一定规则、陆续的变化或差异。
• Air fares vary from one airline to another. 航空公司的机票价格各不相同。
alter: v.使事物在外观、性质、用途等方面稍作改变。
• The tailor altered the waistband on my pants because it was too tight. 裁缝修改了我的裤腰因为它太紧了。
regulate: v.指根据规定或需要对某物(机器、钟表等)进行调整或调节，使之准确工作或运行；多含有"控制"之意。
• Lights are used to regulate the traffic. 红绿灯被用来管制交通。

【fluctuate, alteration, change, modify, convert, shift（in）, alternation, alter, variations】
fluctuate: 没有规律的上下波动
alteration: 强调细节的变化
change: 强调某种本质的变化
modify: “更改，修改”程度略小并有趋缓之意
convert: 用途上的改变，也作态度和信仰的变化
shift（in）: 转换，转变
alternation: 轮流，交替（take turn）
alter: 细枝末节的修改，而非脱胎换骨
variations: 指不规则的或断续的改变，或指一种东西改成了不同样式