alerted
UK[əˈlɜːtɪd]US[əˈlɜːrtɪd]
verb (past tense, past participle)
Made someone aware of a potential danger or problem.
adj
In a state of watchfulness or readiness.
Morpheme Breakdown
al
ert
ed
al
to
ert
watchful
ed
past tense suffix
Etymology
The word 'alerted' originates from the Italian military phrase all' erta, meaning "on the watch" or "to the lookout." The Italian erta derives from the Latin erecta, the feminine past participle of erigere (to raise up), conveying the image of being physically and mentally raised to a state of vigilance. The English verb 'alert' was formed by adopting this phrase, with the prefix 'al-' representing the preposition "to." The addition of the common Germanic past tense suffix '-ed' creates the specific form 'alerted,' which literally means "brought to a state of watchfulness." Thus, the modern meaning of being warned or made ready evolved from this literal notion of being raised to a lookout post.
Analysis
Structure: al (to) + ert (watchful) + ed (past tense suffix)
- al: From Latin ad- meaning "to".
- ert: From Italian erta (a lookout, watchtower), from Vulgar Latin erecta (raised, upright), from Latin erigere (to raise up).
- ed: A Germanic suffix used to form the past tense and past participle of verbs.
Examples
The security system alerted the police to the break-in.
She was alerted to the discrepancy in the report by a sharp-eyed colleague.
The captain kept the crew alerted for any signs of the storm.