intersection

American  

[in-ter-sek-shuhn] / ˌɪn tərˈsɛk ʃən /

noun

1. a place where two or more roads meet, especially when at least one is a major highway; junction.

   Synonyms:

   corner, crossing

2. any place of intersection or the act or fact of intersecting.

3. Mathematics.

   1. Also called meet, product.  the set of elements that two or more sets have in common. ∩

   2. the greatest lower bound of two elements in a lattice.

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intersection British  

/ ˈɪntəˌsɛk-, ˌɪntəˈsɛkʃən /

noun

1. a point at which things intersect, esp a road junction

2. the act of intersecting or the state of being intersected

3. maths

   1. a point or set of points common to two or more geometric configurations

   2. Also called: product.  the set of elements that are common to two sets

   3. the operation that yields that set from a pair of given sets. Symbol: ∩, as in A ∩ B

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intersection Scientific  

/ ĭn′tər-sĕk′shən /

1. The point or set of points where one line, surface, or solid crosses another.

2. The set that contains only those elements shared by two or more sets. The intersection of the sets {3,4,5,6} and {4,6,8,10} is the set {4,6}. The symbol for intersection is .

3. Compare union

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Other Word Forms

• intersectional adjective
• nonintersectional adjective

Etymology

Origin of intersection

First recorded in 1550–60, intersection is from the Latin word intersectiōn- (stem of intersectiō ). See intersect, -ion

Example Sentences

More than 500 students carrying signs and draped in flags gathered at the intersection of Aliso and Los Angeles streets and marched to the jail, where a swarm of police stood behind yellow caution tape.

From Los Angeles Times

He focuses on the intersection of power, business and technology, using data analysis and programming alongside traditional reporting to uncover investigative stories.

From The Wall Street Journal

She covers China's political economy, focusing on the intersection of business and politics, and U.S.-China relations.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sam Schechner covers technology, based out of The Wall Street Journal's Paris bureau, focusing on the intersection between technology, business and society.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the intersection of the road and the river, in the parking lot where they had left it the day before, they found Buzz’s pickup truck, “mashed lengthwise by a tree,” he remembered.

From Literature

Related Words

• crossing
• interchange
• junction