Altar, Alter
Alter, meaning to "change or adjust," is always a verb (except in the phrase alter ego, meaning a second self).
Altar, meaning "an elevated place or structure before which religious ceremonies may be enacted or on which sacrifices may be offered", is always a noun.
The words are homophones, but their origins are different; alter comes from a Latin word meaning other, and altar comes from the Latin altāria. (Description from the Grammarist) |