alternus, a, um, adj. [alter], one after the other, by turns, interchangeable, alternate (class. and also poet.).
I In gen.: ( Sem )VNIS. ALTERNEI. ADVOCAPIT. CONCTOS (i. e. Semones alterni advocate cunctos), Carm. Fr. Arv. 36 (v. advoco fin. ): alternā vice inire, Enn. ap. Charis. p. 214 P. (Trag. v. 151 Vahl.): alternae arbores, Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 138: Alterno tenebras et lucem tempore gigni, Lucr. 5, 978: ex duabus orationibus capita alterna recitare, Cic. Clu. 51, 140: alternis trabibus ac saxis, with beams and stones regularly interchanged , Caes. B. G. 7, 23 Herz.: (bibere) alternis diebus modo aquam, modo vinum, Cels. 3, 2: Alterno terram quatiunt pede, Hor. C. 1, 4, 7: per alternas vices, Ov. P. 4, 2, 6: vix hostem, alterni si congrediamur, habemus, Verg. A. 12, 233; 6, 121: alternum foedus amicitiae, Cat. 109, 6: alternus metus, mutual or reciprocal fear , Liv. 26, 25; cf. id. 23, 26: alternas servant praetoria ripas, the opposite , Stat. S. 1, 3, 25: aves, the eagles which stand opposite to each other , Claud. Mall. Theod. prol. 16 (v. the passage in its connection): alternis paene verbis T. Manlii factum laudans, with almost every other word , Liv. 8, 30: alternis dicetis; amant alterna Camenae, responsive song , Verg. E. 3, 59: versibus alternis, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 146: alternis aptum sermonibus, alternate discourse , i. e. dialogue , id. A. P. 81. —Of verses: interchanging between hexameter and pentameter , elegiac : pedes alternos esse oportebit, Cic. de Or. 3, 50, 193: epigramma alternis versibus longiusculis, id. Arch. 10, 25; Ov. H. 15, 5: canere alterno carmine, id. F. 2, 121; so id. Tr. 3, 1, 11; 3, 1, 56; 3, 7, 10 (cf.: modos impares, id. ib. 2, 220).—
II Esp., in the Roman courts of justice the accused, and afterwards the accuser, could alternately reject all the judges appointed by the praetor; hence, alterna consilia or alternos judices reicere, to reject by turns , Cic. Vatin. 11, 27; id. Planc. 15, 36: cum alternae civitates rejectae sunt, id. Verr. 2, 2, 13.— Comp. and sup. are not used. — Advv. (only in posit. ).
a Form alter-nē , alternately , only in Sen. Q. N. 7, 12 med. —
b Form alternīs ( abl. plur.; sc. vicibus), alternately , by turns (poet. and prose; freq. in Lucr.; not in Cic.), Lucr. 1, 524; 1, 768; 1, 1011; 1, 1066; 3, 373; 4, 790; 6, 570; Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 9; Verg. E. 3, 59; id. G. 1, 71; 1, 79; Liv. 2, 2, 9; Sen. Ep. 120 fin. ; Plin. Ep. 18, 2.—*
c Form alternă , neutr. plur. , Plin. 11, 37, 51, § 138 Jan; Ap. Met. 10, 17, 14 Elm.