alternada

Alternada is a feminine adjective used in Spanish and Portuguese to denote something that occurs in alternation or in an alternating manner. Derived from Latin alternatus, from alter meaning "other" or "one of two," alternada shares a root with the English word "alternate" and the noun "alternation." In general usage, it appears in compound expressions such as corrente alternada or forma de onda alternada and describes processes, patterns, or states that switch back and forth.

In electrical engineering and physics, alternada commonly appears in phrases like corriente alternada (AC) and forma de onda alternada, referring to electrical current or signal whose polarity and magnitude vary periodically over time, as opposed to corriente continua (DC). This framing is standard in technical writing in Portuguese and Spanish.

In music and performance, alternada is used to describe alternating techniques or patterns. For example, palhetada alternada in guitar playing denotes alternating picking with downstrokes and upstrokes; in percussion, golpe alternado can describe alternating hands. The term emphasizes a back-and-forth or in-turn execution essential to rhythm and articulation.

In linguistics, the concept of alternation is usually expressed with alternancia or alternación. When alternada is used, it generally refers to a form that alternates with another form in certain contexts, such as gender or number alternation, though usage tends to favor the noun alternancia. The exact meaning is therefore context-dependent.

See also: corriente alternada, palhetada alternada, alternancia.