the.com/alternative
The road less traveled, now with a waiting list and its own dress code.
means Denoting one of two or more possibilities, or the option you choose instead of the usual one.
from From the Latin 'alternare,' to do by turns, built on 'alter,' meaning 'the other (of two).' That same 'alter' fathered a whole family — 'alter,' 'alternate,' 'altercation' — all circling the idea of one thing set against another. English took it up in the 1500s for things done in turn, and only later did 'alternative' settle into its modern job: the other path, the other choice, the road you take instead.
- latin root
- From alter, meaning the other of two
- music genre
- Mainstream rebellion sold via major record labels
- medicine
- Loses the 'alternative' tag once it actually works
- logic
- A true dilemma offers exactly two alternatives
- history
- Once meant one option, not the underdog choice
the beatles — british rock band that pioneered alternative rock in the 1960s, influencing generations of non-mainstream musicians
nirvana — seattle grunge band whose 1991 album nevermind brought alternative rock into the mainstream
bbc radio 1 alternative — uk radio station playlist established in the 1980s that defined alternative music programming