Origin: Latin suffix -ate
Alternate has 13 different meanings across 3 categories:
someone who takes the place of another person
"When the team captain got injured, his alternate stepped in to lead the players during the warm-up."
That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
"The couple's relationship endured through years of alternating between intense passion and bitter estrangement."
In plain English: An alternate is a person who takes someone else's place if they cannot do a job or task.
"The two drivers will alternate each day to watch over the children."
Usage: Use "alternate" as a noun to refer to a substitute or the second item in a recurring sequence, such as an alternate plan or an alternate candidate. Do not use it to mean a turn or rotation, which should instead be expressed with the verb phrase "take turns."
exchange people temporarily to fulfill certain jobs and functions
"The factory manager decided to have the night shift workers alternate every week so that no single team stays on overnight duty for too long."
be an understudy or alternate for a role
"After Sarah got sick, he was called in to alternate as the lead actor in the evening performance."
To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
"The two teams will alternate serving first during each set of the match."
In plain English: To alternate means to switch back and forth between two things repeatedly.
"The power goes out and on every few minutes."
Usage: Use "alternate" as a verb when describing actions that happen in regular turns, such as taking shifts at work or switching between two activities. It implies a consistent pattern where one event follows another before the first returns.
every second one of a series
"the cleaning lady comes on alternate Wednesdays"
"jam every other day"
occurring by turns; first one and then the other
"alternating feelings of love and hate"
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"
Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly)
"The traffic lights at that intersection alternate between red for northbound cars and green for southbound ones."
In plain English: Alternate means taking turns, where you do something and then someone else does it next.
"The seats in the row were arranged so that men and women sat on alternate sides."
Usage: Use "alternate" to describe two things that happen or appear in regular turns, such as Monday and Tuesday. Do not use it to mean simply "different," which is the role of "alternative."
The word "alternate" comes from the Latin alternātus, which originally meant to take turns or act one after another. It entered English as a doublet of "alter," carrying forward its sense of switching between options in sequence.