alt-

¹

1. variant of alti- before a vowel:

   altazimuth.

alt-

²

1. a combining form of alternative, used in compound words describing a nontraditional or unconventional version within a genre or category, often something provocative, subversive, or innovative: the alt-right movement; writers of alt-lit;

   alt-country bands;

   the alt-right movement;

   alt-weeklies;

   writers of alt-lit;

   quinoa and other alt-grains.

alt

³

[ alt ]

adjective

1. high.

noun

1. in alt, in the first octave above the treble staff.

alt.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. alteration.
2. alternate.
3. altitude.
4. alto.

alt

/ ælt /

adjective

1. (esp of vocal music) high in pitch
2. of or relating to the octave commencing with the G above the top line of the treble staff

noun

1. in alt
   in the octave directly above the treble staff

Word History and Origins

Origin of alt-¹

First recorded in 1985–90; from the use of the prefix alt- in Usenet, to denote newsgroups with unconventional discussion topics

Origin of alt-²

1525–35; < Provençal < Latin altum, noun use of neuter of altus high

Word History and Origins

Origin of alt-¹

C16: from Provençal, from Latin altus high, deep

Example Sentences

And an arrow, pointing to the ALT image description label.

From BBC

In April, Twitter introduced an alt text badge, a small “ALT” marking in the corner of images and GIFs that contain alt text.

From The Verge

Because he was so lean, ALT seemed like a fit.

From New York Times

Earlier this month, Twitter announced that its ALT badge and improved image descriptions are now available globally, making alt text descriptions more prominent for all users.

From The Verge

“As promised, the ALT badge and exposed image descriptions go global today,” reads a tweet from Twitter’s Accessibility account.

From The Verge