- pronunciation:
luhrt
- features:
- Word Combinations (adjective), Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition: |
quick to notice and act.
The alert driver saw the child in the road and quickly stopped the car.
- similar words:
- aware, quick
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| related words: |
prompt, smart |
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| derivations: |
alertly (adv.), alertness (n.) |
The English word
alert comes from
a l'erte, an early French phrase that means "on guard" or "on the watch." This French phrase came from an Italian military phrase,
all'erta.
Erta means "a high or raised place," such as a hilltop or tower soldiers might use to see the enemy coming from a distance. All'erta meant "standing on the high tower."