intermediate

¹

[in-ter-mee-dee-eyt]

verb (used without object)

intermediated, intermediating 

1. to act as an intermediary; intervene; mediate.

intermediate

²

[in-ter-mee-dee-it]

adjective

1. being, situated, or acting between two points, stages, things, persons, etc..

   the intermediate steps in a procedure.

2. of or relating to an intermediate school.

3. Automotive.,  mid-size.

noun

1. a person who acts between others; intermediary; mediator.

2. something intermediate, as a form or class.

3. Chemistry.,  a derivative of the initial material formed before the desired product of a chemical process.

intermediate

adjective

1. occurring or situated between two points, extremes, places, etc; in between

2. (of a class, course, etc) suitable for learners with some degree of skill or competence

3. physics (of a neutron) having an energy between 100 and 100 000 electronvolts

4. geology (of such igneous rocks as syenite) containing between 55 and 66 per cent silica

noun

1. something intermediate

2. a substance formed during one of the stages of a chemical process before the desired product is obtained

verb

1. (intr) to act as an intermediary or mediator

Other Word Forms

• intermediator noun
• intermediatory adjective
• intermediately adverb
• intermediateness noun
• intermediation noun
• intermediacy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of intermediate¹

1600–10; < Medieval Latin intermediātus, past participle of intermediāre. See inter-, mediate

Origin of intermediate²

1615–25; < Medieval Latin intermediātus, equivalent to Latin intermedi ( us ) intermediary ( inter- inter- + medius middle, in the middle) + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of intermediate¹

C17: from Medieval Latin intermediāre to intervene, from Latin _inter- + medius middle

Example Sentences

MP, of course, didn’t want to sell intermediate products to China forever, so it reinvested its revenue into refining capabilities.

Read more on Barron's

A death cross occurs when a 50-day moving average dips below a 200-day moving average, signaling a shift in the intermediate trend of an asset or index.

Read more on MarketWatch

Instead, they pass through intermediate precursor structures before forming an ordered crystal.

Read more on Science Daily

The evening spectacle, which is believed to date back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, started with the children's barrels before the women's, men's and intermediate event got under way.

Read more on BBC

In 2019, both the U.S. and Russia withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which banned ground launched intermediate range missiles, accusing the other of noncompliance.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• transitional