intercession

American  

[in-ter-sesh-uhn] / ˌɪn tərˈsɛʃ ən /

noun

1. an act or instance of interceding.

2. an interposing or pleading on behalf of another person.

3. a prayer to God on behalf of another.

4. Roman History. the interposing of a veto, as by a tribune.

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intercession British  

/ ˌɪntəˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of interceding

2. the act of interceding or offering petitionary prayer to God on behalf of others

3. such petitionary prayer

4. Roman history the interposing of a veto by a tribune or other magistrate

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Other Word Forms

• intercessional
  adjective
• intercessor
  noun
• intercessorial
  adjective
• preintercession
  noun

Etymology

Origin of intercession

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin intercessiōn- (stem of intercessiō ), equivalent to intercess ( us ) past participle of intercēdere to intercede (equivalent to interced- variant stem + -tus past participle suffix, with -dt- > -ss- ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Intercession is prayer or petition in favor of someone else. When you started wearing a cap of the rival baseball team, your baseball-mad family made an intercession to the gods to save your soul. An intercession happens when you intercede in something, or act as a mediator or go-between to help solve a problem. Sometimes nations make intercessions in the internal affairs of other nations, if something brutal is happening. In that case, the intercession might involve sending troops, but often intercessions are verbal. If your friend is in trouble, you might make an intercession to try to get her out of trouble, especially if she's not good at explaining herself.

Example Sentences

An architect on Deripaska’s staff who specializes in churches designed it as a replica of the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, one of Russia’s most famous medieval buildings.

From Washington Post • Feb. 15, 2019

Church of the Intercession, Broadway at 155th Street, Washington Heights, 212-283-6200, intercessionnyc.org.

From New York Times • Dec. 18, 2015

This May, she joined Rousteing at the Church of the Intercession, a stern-looking Gothic Revival building in Harlem, where Kendall and Kylie were scheduled to shoot ads for Balmain’s fall collection.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 12, 2015

A multicultural congregation worships at Intercession, an Episcopal church whose hilly surroundings can serve as a metaphor for the neighborhood’s ups and downs.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2015

A program of Education.A program of Finance.A program of Service.A program of Intercession.

From The Call of the World or, Every Man's Supreme Opportunity by Doughty, W. E.