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

The result was pitch-black neighborhoods at night and dead traffic lights at intersections.

From The Wall Street Journal

The two charging stations at the intersection of Euclid Street and Broadway have been a sour point for neighbors since they began operating roughly a year ago.

From Los Angeles Times

She devoted an entire year to the lyrics alone, singing in 14 languages, over music that sits at the lesser explored intersection of classical, flamenco and avant-pop.

From BBC

Video from outside the gas station shows Reiner standing on a street corner as three unmarked police vehicles drive into the intersection, turning their lights on as they move toward him, blocking his path.

From Los Angeles Times

But when a freight train stalled at a key intersection in the middle of the city, they found themselves stuck on the wrong side of the street for nearly 30 minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crossing
• interchange
• junction