with beams and stones regularly interchanged

alternus, a, um, adj. [alter], one after the other, by turns, interchangeable, alternate (class. and also poet.).

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).—

Esp., in the Roman courts of justice the accused, and afterwards the accuser, could alternately reject all the judges appointed by the prætor;

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.).

Form alternē, alternately, only in Sen. Q. N. 7, 12 med. —

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 med.; Sen. Ep. 120 fin.; Plin. Ep. 18, 2.—

Form alternă, neutr. plur., Plin. 11, 37, 51, § 138 Jan; App. M. 10, p. 247, 8 Elm.