intermittent
Use in a sentence
tərˈmɪt adjective
1.
stopping or ceasing for a time; alternately ceasing and beginning again: an intermittent pain.
2.
alternately functioning and not functioning or alternately functioning properly and improperly.
3.
(of streams, lakes, or springs) recurrent; showing water only part of the time.
Origin:
1595–1605; < Latin intermittent- (stem of intermittēns) present participle of intermittere to intermit; see -ent
1595–1605; < Latin intermittent- (stem of intermittēns) present participle of intermittere to intermit; see -ent
Related forms
in·ter·mit·tence, in·ter·mit·ten·cy, noun
in·ter·mit·tent·ly, adverb
non·in·ter·mit·tence, noun
non·in·ter·mit·tent, adjective
non·in·ter·mit·tent·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1. interrupted, sporadic.
1. interrupted, sporadic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To intermittent
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Intermittent
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is intermediate. Does it mean:
| a person who interprets. |
| mid-size. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
intermittent (ˌɪntəˈmɪtənt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| occurring occasionally or at regular or irregular intervals; periodic | |
| inter'mittence | |
| —n | |
| inter'mittency | |
| —n | |
| inter'mittently | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
intermittent
c.1600, from L. intermittentem (nom. intermittens), prp. of intermittere (see intermission).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
intermittent in·ter·mit·tent (ĭn'tər-mĭt'nt)
adj.
Stopping and starting at intervals.
Marked by intervals of complete quietude occurring between two periods of activity.
in'ter·mit'tence n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Their friendship, intermittent over the years, was based on self-interest rather than on intimacy.
What is less obvious is that nuclear electricity is also intermittent though for different reasons.
The rattle is intermittent, never on the highway and worse on bumpy roads.
Thunder rolled with menacing crashes up the valley and scattered through the woods in intermittent batteries.
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