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Alternate vs Series - What's the difference?

alternate | series |

As verbs the difference between alternate and series

is that alternate is to perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly while series is .

As an adjective alternate

is being or succeeding by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; by turns first one and then the other; hence, reciprocal.

As a noun alternate

is that which alternates with something else; vicissitude.

alternate

English

(Webster 1913)

Adjective

(-)
  • Being or succeeding by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; by turns first one and then the other; hence, reciprocal.
  • And bid alternate passions fall and rise . -
  • (mathematics) Designating the members in a series, which regularly intervene between the members of another series, as the odd or even numbers of the numerals; every other; every second.
  • the alternate members 1, 3, 5, 7, etc.
  • (US) Other; alternative.
  • Hyperlinked text is displayed in alternate color in a Web browser.
  • (botany) Distributed, as leaves, singly at different heights of the stem, and at equal intervals as respects angular divergence.
  • (Gray)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • That which alternates with something else; vicissitude.
  • * Matthew Prior
  • Grateful alternates of substantial.
  • (US) A substitute; an alternative; one designated to take the place of another, if necessary, in performing some duty.
  • (mathematics) A proportion derived from another proportion by interchanging the means.
  • (US) A replacement of equal or greater value or function.
  • (heraldry) Figures or tinctures that succeed each other by turns.
  • Verb

    (alternat)
  • To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
  • * Grew
  • The most high God, in all things appertaining unto this life, for sundry wise ends alternates the disposition of good and evil.
  • To happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or time; followed by with .
  • The flood and ebb tides alternate with each other.
  • To vary by turns.
  • ''The land alternates between rocky hills and sandy plains.

    Derived terms

    * alternate allegation * alternate angles * alternate generation * alternately * alternation

    See also

    * alternative * variant

    series

    English

    Noun

    (series)
  • A number of things that follow on one after the other or are connected one after the other.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
  • , chapter=19 citation , passage=When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. […]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-28, author=(Joris Luyendijk)
  • , volume=189, issue=3, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Our banks are out of control , passage=Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […].  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. When a series of bank failures made this impossible, there was widespread anger, leading to the public humiliation of symbolic figures.}}
  • (US, Canada) A television or radio program which consists of several episodes that are broadcast in regular intervals
  • Friends was one of the most successful television series in recent years.
  • (British) A group of episodes of a television or radio program broadcast in regular intervals with a long break between each group, usually with one year between the beginning of each.
  • (mathematics) The sum of the terms of a sequence.
  • (cricket, baseball) A group of matches between two sides, with the aim being to win more matches than the opposition.
  • (zoology) An unranked taxon.
  • (senseid) A subdivision of a genus, a taxonomic rank below that of section (and subsection) but above that of species.
  • Usage notes

    * In the United Kingdom, television and radio programs (spelt in Commonwealth English as "programmes") are divided into series, which are usually a year long. In North America, the word "series" is a synonym of "program", and programs are divided into year-long seasons. * (mathematics) Beginning students often confuse (term) with (sequence).

    Synonyms

    * (number of things that follow on one after the other) chain, line, sequence, stream, succession * (television or radio program) show, program

    Derived terms

    * (media, TV) TV series * (mathematics) arithmetic series, basic hypergeometric series, confluent hypergeometric series, formal power series, geometric series, hypergeometric series, power series

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (electronics) Connected one after the other in a circuit.
  • You have to connect the lights in series for them to work properly .

    Antonyms

    * parallel