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ALTERNATE
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Someone who takes the place of another person
Synonyms:
alternate; replacement; surrogate
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("alternate" is a kind of...):
backup; backup man; fill-in; relief; reliever; stand-in; substitute (someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult))
Derivation:
alternate (be an understudy or alternate for a role)
alternate (exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and functions)
alternate (serving or used in place of another)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Occurring by turns; first one and then the other
Example:
alternating feelings of love and hate
Synonyms:
alternate; alternating
Classified under:
Similar:
cyclic; cyclical (recurring in cycles)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Every second one of a series
Example:
jam every other day
Classified under:
Similar:
cyclic; cyclical (recurring in cycles)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Of leaves and branches etc; first on one side and then on the other in two ranks along an axis; not paired
Example:
stems with alternate leaves
Classified under:
Adjectives
Domain category:
botany; phytology (the branch of biology that studies plants)
Antonym:
opposite (of leaves etc; growing in pairs on either side of a stem)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Serving or used in place of another
Example:
an alternative plan
Synonyms:
alternate; alternative; substitute
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
secondary (being of second rank or importance or value; not direct or immediate)
Derivation:
alternate (someone who takes the place of another person)
III. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they alternate ... he / she / it alternates
Past simple: alternated
Past participle: alternated
-ing form: alternating
Sense 1
Meaning:
Do something in turns
Example:
We take turns on the night shift
Synonyms:
alternate; take turns
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "alternate" is one way to...):
act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "alternate"):
spell (take turns working)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
alternation (successive change from one thing or state to another and back again)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions
Synonyms:
alternate; jump
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "alternate" is one way to...):
alter; change; vary (become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence)
Sentence frames:
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
alternation (successive change from one thing or state to another and back again)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)
Synonyms:
alternate; flip; flip-flop; interchange; switch; tack
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "alternate" is one way to...):
change by reversal; reverse; turn (change to the contrary)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Sense 4
Meaning:
Be an understudy or alternate for a role
Synonyms:
alternate; understudy
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Hypernyms (to "alternate" is one way to...):
con; learn; memorise; memorize (commit to memory; learn by heart)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
alternate (someone who takes the place of another person)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and functions
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Hypernyms (to "alternate" is one way to...):
exchange (hand over one and receive another, approximately equivalent)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "alternate"):
rotate (exchange on a regular basis)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Derivation:
alternate (someone who takes the place of another person)
Context examples:
Encoded as ten alternate splicing variant isoforms by human BIN1 Gene, ubiquitously expressed nucleocytoplasmic adaptor protein Bridging Integrator 1 exhibits differential binding to dynamin, synaptojanin (via sh3 domain), alpha-adaptin, endophilin, clathrin, and MYC protein.
(Bridging Integrator 1, NCI Thesaurus)
Jane ran to her uncle and aunt, and welcomed and thanked them both, with alternate smiles and tears.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
In the alternate pathway, TAK1 also activates NF-kB through a Map kinase pathway, activating p38 and NF-kB in a nuclear translocation independent manner.
(NFKB Activation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
Two transcripts, resulting from the use of alternate polyadenylation signals, have been identified for this gene.
(Collagen I (Alpha 1), NCI Thesaurus/LocusLink)
There are 6 alternate transcripts unique to this gene and alternate splicing is restricted to the 6 exons encoding this domain.
(Collagen IV (Alpha 3), NCI Thesaurus)
An electrical device that converts direct current to alternating current.
(Inverter Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)
A rare histological variant of glioblastoma (WHO grade IV) characterized by a biphasic tissue pattern with alternating areas displaying glial and mesenchymal differentiation (WHO).
(Gliosarcoma, NCI Thesaurus)
This uniformly alternating intensity of such a test object can be used to visually assess the resolution of an imaging device.
(Line Pair, NCI Thesaurus)
A regimen comprised of an initial induction regimen, followed by three different consolidation regimens, given on alternating schedule and used for the treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
(Linker Regimen, NCI Thesaurus)
It is characterized by the presence of alternating bands of mature adipose tissue and spindle-cell fibrous tissue, without destruction of the adipose tissue architecture.
(Lipofibromatosis, NCI Thesaurus)
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