alternation

plural alternations

1. countableuncountableThe reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence

   the alternation of day and night

   3 more examples

   alternation of summer and winter

   alternation between night shifts and day shifts

   alternation of feelings between hope and fear

2. countableuncountablelifestyleThe response of the congregation speaking alternately with the minister.

   There are Anthems to be found amongst them , where every syllable has its just length ; each part of a sentence its proper pause : where the words are not confused by perplexing alternations, or rendered tedious by unnecessary repetitions

   1795, William Mason, Essays, Historical and Critical, on English Church Music

3. countableuncountablehuman sciencesAblaut.
4. countableuncountablehuman sciencesA pattern by which more than one construct is possible, as with "Alice cooked Bob dinner" and "Alice cooked dinner for Bob".

   dative alternation; locative alternation

5. countableuncountablehuman sciencesThe "inclusive or" truth function.
6. countableuncountablemathematicsA sequence that alternates between positive and negative values.
7. countableproscribeduncountablemathematicsA permutation.
8. countableuncountablecomputingA construct in a regular expression that can match any of several specified subexpressions.
9. countableuncountablegeometryA type of partial truncation of a polygon, polyhedron or tiling in which alternate vertices are removed.

   1 more example

   1932, Harold Scott Macdonald Coxeter, The densities of the regular polytopes, part 2, reprinted in 1995, F. Arthur Sherk, Peter Mcmullen, Anthony C. Thompson, Asia Ivić Weiss (editors), Kaleidoscopes: Selected Writings of H. S. M. Coxeter, page 54, This case suggests that the alternation of a polyhedron should be bounded by actual vertex figures and alternated faces. The case of the cube is in agreement with this notion, since the alternated square is nothing.