Alter in Different Languages
Discover 'Alter' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'alter' is a versatile term that can have a significant impact on our daily lives. It signifies 'to change' or 'to make different,' and plays a crucial role in various contexts such as fashion, interior design, and technology. Culturally, altering one's appearance or environment can represent personal expression, innovation, or even tradition.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'alter' in different languages can open up new avenues of communication and cultural exchange. For instance, in Spanish, 'alter' translates to 'alterar,' while in German, it is 'ändern.' In French, 'to alter' is 'modifier,' and in Japanese, it is '改変する' (kaihen suru).
Did you know that in some cultures, altering one's body is a long-standing tradition? For example, in certain African tribes, women alter their ears by stretching them with large discs, symbolizing maturity and social status. Similarly, in India, some communities practice mehndi, or henna tattooing, to alter their skin's appearance during special occasions.
Join us as we delve deeper into the translations of 'alter' in various languages and cultures, and discover the fascinating stories behind them.
Alter
Alter in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ouderdom | ||
| The Afrikaans word "Ouderdom" can also refer to the stage or condition of being elderly or advanced in years | |||
| Amharic | ዕድሜ | ||
| In Amharic, "ዕድሜ" has multiple meanings including 'time' and 'age', while synonyms like 'ወቅት' may refer to specific moments. | |||
| Hausa | shekaru | ||
| In older Hausa, the word "Shekaru" also meant "to give birth" and "to be born". | |||
| Igbo | afọ | ||
| In some Igbo dialects, 'afọ' also means 'year'. | |||
| Malagasy | taona | ||
| In Malagasy, "TAONA" means "alter" but can also refer to "change" or "vary" in a broader sense. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zaka | ||
| The Nyanja word 'zaka' has its roots in the verb 'kusaka', meaning 'to build' or 'to erect'. | |||
| Shona | zera | ||
| The word "Zera" can also mean "to change" or "to transform" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | da'da | ||
| The word "Da'da" in Somali can also mean "to change" or "to transform." | |||
| Sesotho | lilemo | ||
| Lilemo also means 'to change' or 'to renovate' in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | umri | ||
| The Swahili word "umri" means "age," but can also refer to "time" or "life." | |||
| Xhosa | ubudala | ||
| In Zulu, 'Ubudala' refers to old age or the elderly, while in Xhosa, it denotes a ritual performed by a diviner to diagnose and treat illnesses. | |||
| Yoruba | ọjọ ori | ||
| In many contexts, particularly when it refers to shrines, 'Ọjọ ori' specifically means 'altar'. | |||
| Zulu | ubudala | ||
| The word 'Ubudala' in Zulu has a homophone meaning 'to get old' which is 'Ubudala'. | |||
| Bambara | alter (yɛrɛlabɔli). | ||
| Ewe | alter | ||
| Kinyarwanda | hindura | ||
| Lingala | kobongola | ||
| Luganda | alter | ||
| Sepedi | fetola | ||
| Twi (Akan) | alter | ||
Alter in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | عمر | ||
| The word "عمر" in Arabic can also mean the verb "to populate a place" or the noun "population". | |||
| Hebrew | גיל | ||
| The Hebrew word "גיל" (alter) can also mean "age" or "joy". | |||
| Pashto | عمر | ||
| The word "عمر" also means "age" and is shared with Persian and Arabic languages, ultimately being traced back to the root "عمر" meaning "to live" in the Semitic family of languages. | |||
| Arabic | عمر | ||
| The word "عمر" in Arabic can also mean the verb "to populate a place" or the noun "population". | |||
Alter in Western European Languages
| Albanian | mosha | ||
| The word "Mosha" is used in Albanian as synonyms for "age" and "season" as well. | |||
| Basque | adina | ||
| Adina may also refer to the feminine name "Adina" or to the musical instrument "Adina" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | edat | ||
| The word "Edat" in Catalan can also be used to refer to stages in one's life, or to a specific era in history. | |||
| Croatian | dob | ||
| "Dob" can also refer to a forest or a grove in some Slavic languages and may derive from a Proto-Slavic root for "oak". | |||
| Danish | alder | ||
| Alder is both the tree name and Danish for the act of getting older. | |||
| Dutch | leeftijd | ||
| In Dutch, "Leeftijd" can also refer to a period of time or an era. | |||
| English | alter | ||
| "Alter" also means a dispute or a squabble, and comes from the Latin "altercari" meaning "to wrangle or argue" | |||
| French | âge | ||
| The French word "Âge" derives from the Latin word "aevum", meaning "time" or "duration", and also shares a root with the English word "age". | |||
| Frisian | leeftyd | ||
| In Frisian, the word "Leeftyd" can also refer to a day of celebration or a wedding feast. | |||
| Galician | idade | ||
| The Galician word "Idade" is cognate with the Portuguese word "idade" and the Spanish word "edad", all meaning "age". It derives from the Latin word "aetas", meaning "age" or "lifetime". This is due to the fact that in the Galician language, the word "alter" is not used to refer to the concept of "alter", but rather to the concept of "age". | |||
| German | alter | ||
| The German word "alter" has an additional meaning of "holy" because it is derived from the Old High German word "altari" which meant "altar". | |||
| Icelandic | aldur | ||
| The word "Aldur" in Icelandic can also mean "age" or "time period." | |||
| Irish | aois | ||
| The Irish word 'Aois' can also refer to age or a lifetime. | |||
| Italian | età | ||
| The word "Età" in Italian comes from the Latin word "Aetas," which originally meant "age" or "generation." | |||
| Luxembourgish | alter | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Alter" can also refer to a person's father or grandfather. | |||
| Maltese | età | ||
| Although pronounced differently, the word "età" is cognate with "età" in Italian, meaning 'age' | |||
| Norwegian | alder | ||
| In Norwegian, «alder» also means «age», while «alter» is the word for «altar». | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | era | ||
| The word "Era" can also mean "air" or "wind" in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | aois | ||
| "Aois" also means "age" in Scots Gaelic, derived from the Old Irish "áois" with the same meaning. | |||
| Spanish | años | ||
| In Spanish, the word "años" not only means "alter" but also "years". This is because the word comes from the Latin word "annus", which means "year". | |||
| Swedish | ålder | ||
| Ålder's cognate in English is 'elder', which shares the meaning of 'senior'. | |||
| Welsh | oedran | ||
| "Oedran" is derived from the Proto-Celtic form *oidro- (Old Irish aidir, Breton ezrenn, Gaulish aidros). | |||
Alter in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | узрост | ||
| The word "Узрост" in Belarusian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *vozrastъ, which originally meant "growth" or "development." | |||
| Bosnian | dob | ||
| "Dob" is most likely derived from the Proto-Slavic root *dobъ, meaning "good" or "kind" | |||
| Bulgarian | възраст | ||
| In Old Bulgarian, Възраст meant "age, time, century, period of time". | |||
| Czech | stáří | ||
| While "Stáří" typically means "old age" in Czech, it also refers to an "elder" or "foreman" in archaic usage. | |||
| Estonian | vanus | ||
| The word "Vanus" in Estonian also relates to age and time, with meanings including "old", "ancient", or "timeless". | |||
| Finnish | ikä | ||
| The word "Ikä" also refers to age in colloquial Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | kor | ||
| In the Hungarian language, the word "Kor" can also refer to an age group, a generation, or a period of time. | |||
| Latvian | vecums | ||
| "Vecums" is a cognate of the Lithuanian word "amžius", which means "age" or "lifetime". | |||
| Lithuanian | amžius | ||
| The Lithuanian word "amžius" means "age," "lifetime," or "century" and is cognate with the Latin word "aevum" with the same meaning. | |||
| Macedonian | возраст | ||
| The word 'Возраст' comes from the Proto-Slavic word '*vъzrastъ', which originally meant 'growth' or 'increase'. | |||
| Polish | wiek | ||
| The word "wiek" in Polish can also mean "age" or "century" in addition to "alter". | |||
| Romanian | vârstă | ||
| The word "Vârstă" in Romanian also means "age", and comes from the Latin "*vetustas*", meaning "old age". | |||
| Russian | возраст | ||
| The word "Возраст" derives from the Old Slavic word "възрастъ", meaning "growth" or "increase". | |||
| Serbian | старост | ||
| The word "Старост" in Serbian can also mean "old age" or "venerable person". | |||
| Slovak | vek | ||
| The word "vek" is related to the Proto-Slavic word "věkъ", meaning "lifetime" or "age", and also has a related meaning in other Slavic languages such as Polish, Czech, and Serbo-Croatian. | |||
| Slovenian | starost | ||
| In some Slavic languages, "starost" also means "age" or "old age". | |||
| Ukrainian | вік | ||
| The word "вік" in Ukrainian also refers to an era or time period. | |||
Alter in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বয়স | ||
| "বয়স" can also mean "age" or the "period of time" something has existed. | |||
| Gujarati | ઉંમર | ||
| The Gujarati word "ઉંમર" (alter) can also refer to the number of years a person has lived (age). | |||
| Hindi | उम्र | ||
| The word "umr" is derived from the Arabic word "ʿumr," meaning "age" or "lifetime." | |||
| Kannada | ವಯಸ್ಸು | ||
| The word "ವಯಸ್ಸು" can also mean "age" or "time" in Kannada, indicating the passage or duration of time. | |||
| Malayalam | പ്രായം | ||
| The word | |||
| Marathi | वय | ||
| The word 'वय' can also refer to a person's age, while in English 'alter' means to make changes to something. | |||
| Nepali | उमेर | ||
| In Nepali, the word "उमेर" can also refer to a person's age or the time period of their life. | |||
| Punjabi | ਉਮਰ | ||
| The word "ਉਮਰ" can also mean "age" or "lifetime" in Punjabi, coming from the Persian word "umr". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | වයස | ||
| Though the Sinhala word "වයස" primarily means "age," it also has the alternate meaning of "to respect." | |||
| Tamil | வயது | ||
| In Tamil, “வயது” primarily means "age," but it also carries the meaning of "change" or "alteration." | |||
| Telugu | వయస్సు | ||
| Urdu | عمر | ||
| In Urdu, "عمر" (alter) has an additional meaning of "age" or "lifetime". | |||
Alter in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 年龄 | ||
| 年龄 (niánlíng) means 'age', which is related to the character '年' ('nián'), meaning 'year'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 年齡 | ||
| 年齡 (年龄) (nĭanlìng) is the duration of time that someone has been alive, measured from their birth. | |||
| Japanese | 年齢 | ||
| As an alternative reading, the word "年齢" in Japanese can be read as "とし" and means "age" or "year". | |||
| Korean | 나이 | ||
| "나이" is also an alternate spelling of "내이" ("ear"). It is written differently but pronounced the same. | |||
| Mongolian | нас | ||
| "Нас" also means "to be born" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အသက် | ||
Alter in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | usia | ||
| The word “usia” originated from the Javanese “yuswa” which originally means age, or the number of months or years lived by a person. | |||
| Javanese | umur | ||
| The Javanese word "umur" can also refer to a period of time or a specific age. | |||
| Khmer | អាយុ | ||
| The word "អាយុ" also has the meaning of "age" in Pali and Sanskrit. | |||
| Lao | ອາຍຸ | ||
| Malay | umur | ||
| In Malay, the word "umur" also refers to one's age or lifespan. | |||
| Thai | อายุ | ||
| "อายุ" also has synonyms like "อาวุธ" and "ยุค" | |||
| Vietnamese | tuổi tác | ||
| Tuổi tác, meaning "alter", is derived from the word "đổi tuổi", which refers to a change in one's age. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | baguhin | ||
Alter in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yaş | ||
| The word "Yaş" means "age" and also refers to the change or maturing over time, akin to its English cognate. | |||
| Kazakh | жасы | ||
| The Kazakh word "Жасы" can also refer to a "relative", particularly a younger sibling. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жашы | ||
| The word Жашы also bears the meaning of "to be late." | |||
| Tajik | синну сол | ||
| The word "синну сол" can also refer to a type of musical instrument with a plucked string. | |||
| Turkmen | üýtgetmek | ||
| Uzbek | yoshi | ||
| The Uzbek word “Yoshi”, besides meaning “age”, can also refer to “a person of one's own age”. | |||
| Uyghur | alter | ||
Alter in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | makahiki | ||
| Makahiki also refers to an ancient Hawaiian festival that includes a period of peace and athletic competition. | |||
| Maori | tau | ||
| In Maori, "tau" can also mean "to sew" or "to join," suggesting the concept of altering through the physical connection of separate entities. | |||
| Samoan | tausaga | ||
| The Tausaga is also the name of one of the highest points in Samoa's Va'a-o-Fonoti district and was the site of an ancient fort. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | edad | ||
| Edad can mean "to change" or "to transform" in Tagalog (as in "to change one's mind") | |||
Alter in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | alter | ||
| Guarani | alter | ||
Alter in International Languages
| Esperanto | aĝo | ||
| The word "Aĝo" is derived from the Latin word "aetas", meaning "age". It can also refer to the process of aging or becoming older. | |||
| Latin | age | ||
| The Latin word "age" (pronounced "ah-geh") also means "to push" or "to set in motion." | |||
Alter in Others Languages
| Greek | ηλικία | ||
| Ηλικία ('age') can also mean 'a number in a sequence' or 'a division of a race.' | |||
| Hmong | lub hnub nyoog | ||
| Lub hnub nyoog is also used to refer to the act of changing or modifying something. | |||
| Kurdish | kalbûn | ||
| Kalbûn is an Arabic word that also means 'dog' in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | yaş | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "yaş" can also refer to "age" or "maturity". | |||
| Xhosa | ubudala | ||
| In Zulu, 'Ubudala' refers to old age or the elderly, while in Xhosa, it denotes a ritual performed by a diviner to diagnose and treat illnesses. | |||
| Yiddish | עלטער | ||
| The Yiddish word "עלטער" ("alter") also means "age" and "parent". | |||
| Zulu | ubudala | ||
| The word 'Ubudala' in Zulu has a homophone meaning 'to get old' which is 'Ubudala'. | |||
| Assamese | alter | ||
| Aymara | alter | ||
| Bhojpuri | बदल दिहल जाला | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަދަލުކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | बदलो | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | baguhin | ||
| Guarani | alter | ||
| Ilocano | baliwan | ||
| Krio | alter | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گۆڕین | ||
| Maithili | बदलि दियौक | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯣꯡꯗꯣꯀꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | alter tih a ni | ||
| Oromo | jijjiiru | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପରିବର୍ତ୍ତନ | ||
| Quechua | alter | ||
| Sanskrit | alter इति | ||
| Tatar | үзгәртү | ||
| Tigrinya | alter | ||
| Tsonga | alter | ||