alt

Etymology 1

From Latin altus. Doublet of old and alto.

noun

1. (music) High pitch, of a voice or instrument; especially, the octave above the top line of the treble stave.
   Sop[hy] Moderato! moderato! Madam. Your Ladyship's absolutely in alt. / L[ady] Scr[ape] In alt! Madam? / Sop[hy] Yes, in alt- Give me leave to tell your Ladyship, that you have raised your voice a full octave higher since you came into the room. 1762, George Colman, The Musical Lady
   The duet was in alt; one stormed, the other half crying, half scolding, made up in volubility what her aunt possessed in authority, and it was not 'till Lady Meredith had twice raised her mild voice, either party could be silenced. 1794, Mrs. Bennett (Agnes Maria), Ellen, Countess of Castle Howel: A Novel, volume 1
   And he began, — "Poor insect! born to flutter and to die;" — falling into the second, directly Helen took the first, till he got down to such unreasonable bass that he suddenly gave a shriek in alt that made Olga stop her ears. 1857, Anne Manning, Helen and Olga: a Russian tale, page 194
2. (now archaic) A state of excitement, a heightened emotional condition.
   I was, however, glad at my heart, that Mrs. Moore came up so seasonably with notice, that dinner was ready. The fair fugitive was all in alt. She had the game in her own hands; and by giving me so good an excuse for withdrawing, I had time to strengthen myself; the Captain had time to come; and the Lady to cool. 1748, Samuel Richardson, The History of Clarissa Harlowe: In a Series of Letters
   "Not," added she, as her eyes glittered with anger, and she sidled near the door for an exit—" not but, in the estimation of others, you may be quite an Adonis—a young gentleman of wit and fashion —a beau of the first water; I have no doubt Mary Jane thinks so— you old wretch!" This, in alt, and a bang of the door that brought down an oil picture that hung over it, closed the scene. c. 1875, Charles James Lever, The Dodd Family Abroad
   He had no wish to pry or listen; but if people would talk in alt, whilst he moved, like a mole, about his business, family matters would cleave the ear which, however it tried, could not be deaf. 1891, Douglas William Jerrold, Tales: now first collected, page 113
   That lady was in alt at Loxsleigh's high station and had spent the morning making inquiries of her friends, which also allowed her to spread the word about her interesting new acquaintance. 2011, Jo Beverley, “The Marrying Maid”, in Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love, page 50

Etymology 2

Abbreviations.

adj

1. Clipping of alternate.
   […]Adele, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Frank Ocean, Drake, and Ed Sheeran are among many artists who don't appear to spend a lot of time online (or if they do, it's using alt accounts). 2021, Rhian Jones, Lucy Heyman, Sound Advice: The Ultimate Guide to a Healthy and Successful Career in Music, Shoreditch Press
2. Clipping of alternative, especially as a cultural phenomenon seen as being outside the mainstream of its genre.
   alt-rock
   alt-right
   alt medicine
   Fearn is thoughtful and deeply alt (“I’ve always been an oddball”), less demonstrative but more confident. 2023-03-05, Miranda Sawyer, “Sleaford Mods: ‘The UK is like a crazy golf course – all we’ve got left are landmarks’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

noun

1. Clipping of altitude.
2. (Internet slang, gaming) An alternate or secondary character.
   Of these alts, how many of them are a gender other than your own? 1996, Jonobie D. Baker, “Survey of MUSHers.”, in rec.games.mud.tiny (Usenet)
   Yes, I have many alts, and no, none of the others have any unusual capitalisation. 2000, KaVir, “Code Bases - why release buggy crap?”, in alt.mud (Usenet)
3. (Internet slang) An alternate account.
4. (finance) An alternative investment or alternative fund.
   liquid alts

Etymology 3

From German Alt.

noun

1. Synonym of altbier
   Top-fermenting ales are still brewed, notably the alts of Düsseldorf and kölsches of Cologne. 1999, Brian Glover, The Complete Guide to Beer, Barnes & Noble, page 146
   On average, the mash temperatures used in the NHC second-round alts and kölschs were higher, at 153 °F (67 °C) and 151 °F (66 °C) respectively. 2000, Ray Daniels, Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles, Brewers Publications
   In the last two days I have drunk 10 different beers in each city and feel the Kölsches were within a narrower flavor profile, being relatively similar to each other, whereas Alts had more range of aroma and flavor. 2015, Mark Dredge, The Best Beer in the World: One Man’s Globe Search for the Perfect Pint, Dog ‘n’ Bone Books
   Ale yeasts are often described as top fermenting, but top cropping would probably be a better description: the yeast ferments at all levels throughout the liquid, but once its work is done it collects at the top of the fermenting vessel (traditionally these vessels would have been open at the top). Family members include bitters, porters, stouts, alts and kölschs. 2016, Tim Hampson, The 50 Greatest Beers of the World, Icon Books