etiolate vs alter

etiolate is an adjective but alter is not an adjective.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
etiolate	No	Yes	Yes	No
alter	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, alter is a hypernym of etiolate; that is, alter is a word with a broader meaning than etiolate:

Other hypernyms of etiolate include change, modify.

As verbs, alter is a hypernym of etiolate; that is, alter is a word with a broader meaning than etiolate:

etiolate: bleach and alter the natural development of (a green plant) by excluding sunlight
alter: cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

Other hypernyms of etiolate include change, modify.

etiolate (adjective)	alter (adjective)
(especially of plants) developed without chlorophyll by being deprived of light

etiolate (verb)	alter (verb)
make pale or sickly	remove the ovaries of
bleach and alter the natural development of (a green plant) by excluding sunlight	become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
make weak by stunting the growth or development of	cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
	insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby
	make an alteration to