altercate vs spat

altercate is not a noun while spat is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
altercate	No	No	Yes	No
spat	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, spat is a hyponym of altercate; that is, spat is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than altercate:

Other hyponyms of altercate include brawl, wrangle, polemicise, polemicize, polemise, polemize, fall out.

altercate (noun)	spat (noun)
	a young oyster or other bivalve
	a cloth covering (a legging) that covers the instep and ankles
	a quarrel about petty points

altercate (verb)	spat (verb)
have a disagreement over something	clap one's hands together
	spawn
	engage in a brief and petty quarrel
	clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval
	strike with a sound like that of falling rain
	become permanently attached
	come down like raindrops