Alternade
Encyclopedia
An alternade is a word
in which its letters
, taken alternatively in a strict sequence, and used in the same order as the original word, make up at least two other words. All letters must be used, but the smaller words are not necessarily of the same length. For example, a word with seven letters where every second letter is used will produce a four-letter word and a three-letter word.
In the majority of alternades, every second letter is used to make two smaller words, but in some cases, every third letter is used to make three smaller words. Theoretically, a very long word could use every fourth letter to make four smaller words; however, this would require the parent word to be at least 13 letters long, but the longest known alternades have only 11 letters.
The term binade is also used.
The alternade was introduced by L'Allegro in the May 1917 Eastern Enigma, published in June 1917.
Variants on the alternade include the rebade (a hybrid of a rebus and an alternade), and the subade.
At least 4,800 alternades are known to exist.
Word
In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own...
in which its letters
Letter (alphabet)
A letter is a grapheme in an alphabetic system of writing, such as the Greek alphabet and its descendants. Letters compose phonemes and each phoneme represents a phone in the spoken form of the language....
, taken alternatively in a strict sequence, and used in the same order as the original word, make up at least two other words. All letters must be used, but the smaller words are not necessarily of the same length. For example, a word with seven letters where every second letter is used will produce a four-letter word and a three-letter word.
In the majority of alternades, every second letter is used to make two smaller words, but in some cases, every third letter is used to make three smaller words. Theoretically, a very long word could use every fourth letter to make four smaller words; however, this would require the parent word to be at least 13 letters long, but the longest known alternades have only 11 letters.
The term binade is also used.
The alternade was introduced by L'Allegro in the May 1917 Eastern Enigma, published in June 1917.
Variants on the alternade include the rebade (a hybrid of a rebus and an alternade), and the subade.
At least 4,800 alternades are known to exist.
Every second letter
- ALGERIAAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
: makes AGRA and LEI.
- ALTERNADE itself makes: ATRAE and LEND
- ALTERNATION: makes A-TRAIN and LENTO
- BOARDBoard-Flat surface:* Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat** See :Category:Engineered wood** Cutting board** Sounding board, of a musical instrument* Cardboard* Paperboard*Corrugated fiberboard*Fiberboard*Particle board, also known as chipboard...
: makes BAD and OR.
- CALLIOPECalliopeIn Greek mythology, Calliope was the muse of epic poetry, daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, and is now best known as Homer's muse, the inspiration for the Odyssey and the Iliad....
: makes CLIP and ALOE.
- CARPETWEEDCarpetweedCarpetweed can mean:* Aizoaceae* Ajuga reptans, a plant* Molluginaceae* Mollugo* Mollugo verticillata...
(S): makes CREWE(S) and APTED.
- CURTAINLESS: makes CRANES and UTILS.
- PAINED: makes PIE and AND.
- SCHOOLED: makes SHOE and COLD.
- SPALLATION(S): makes SALTO(S) and PLAIN.
- TRIENNIALLY: makes TINILY and RENAL. (This was discovered by Dorse in 1949. It has been claimed that triennially is the longest alternade, but other 11-letter examples exist where the resultant words are obscure.)
- TROUPE(S): makes TOP(S) and RUE.
- TRUANCIES: makes TUNIS and RACE.
- WAISTWaistThe waist is the part of the abdomen between the rib cage and hips. On proportionate people, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso....
: makes WIT and AS.
- WAISTS: makes WIT and ASS.
Every third letter
- LACERATED: the 1st, 4th and 7th letters make LET; the 2nd, 5th and 8th letters make ARE; and the 3rd, 6th and 9th letters make CAD.