prostrate vs alter

prostrate is an adjective but alter is not an adjective.

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

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

Other hypernyms of prostrate include change, modify.

prostrate (adjective)	alter (adjective)
stretched out and lying at full length along the ground
lying face downward

prostrate (verb)	alter (verb)
render helpless or defenseless	remove the ovaries of
throw down flat, as on the ground	become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
get into a prostrate position, as in submission	cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
	insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby
	make an alteration to