intersect

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪntəˈsɛkt/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪntɚˈsɛkt/
• Rhymes: -ɛkt

Etymology 1

From Latin intersecare (“to cut between, cut off”), from inter (“between”) + secare (“to cut”).

Verb

intersect (third-person singular simple present intersects, present participle intersecting, simple past and past participle intersected)

1. (ambitransitive) To cut into or between; to cut or cross mutually; to divide into parts.

   Parallel lines don't intersect.

   Any two diameters of a circle intersect each other at the centre.

   • 1782–1785, William Cowper, “(please specify the page)”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson;  […], →OCLC:

     Lands intersected by a narrow frith / Abhor each other.

2. (mathematics) Of two sets, to have at least one element in common.

Derived terms

• cointersect
• intersectin
• intersectingly
• intersector
• nonintersecting
• unintersected

Related terms

• intersection
• intersectional
• intersectionalism
• intersectionalist
• intersectionalistic
• intersectionality
• intersectionally

Translations

to cross each other; to cut each other

• Arabic: تَقَاطَعَ (taqāṭaʕa)
• Armenian: հատել (hy) (hatel) (active voice), հատվել (hy) (hatvel) (passive voice)
• Azerbaijani: kəsişmək, çarpazlaşmaq
• Bulgarian: пресичам се (presičam se), кръстосвам се (krăstosvam se)
• Catalan: intersecar (ca)
• Finnish: ristetä (fi), leikata (fi)
• French: intersecter (fr), interséquer
• German: sich schneiden
• Ido: intersekar (io)
• Interlingua: intersecar
• Italian: intersecare (it)
• Māori: pūtahi
• Naga:

  Khiamniungan Naga: vìangthàh

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skjære (no), gjennomskjære

• Polish: przecinać (pl), przecinać się (pl), krzyżować (pl), krzyżować się (pl)
• Portuguese: intersectar, intersetar
• Spanish: intersecarse (es), interseccionar (es)
• Welsh: croestorri, trawstorri

in mathematics

• Azerbaijani: kəsişmək
• Bulgarian: пресичам (bg) (presičam)
• Catalan: intersecar (ca)
• Finnish: leikata (fi)
• French: intersecter (fr), interséquer
• German: sich schneiden
• Ido: intersekar (io)
• Italian: intersecare (it)
• Polish: przecinać (pl), przecinać się (pl)
• Portuguese: intersectar, intersetar
• Spanish: intersecarse (es), interseccionar (es)
• Tagalog: bumagtas
• Welsh: croestorri, trawstorri

Etymology 2

From inter- +‎ sect.

Adjective

intersect (comparative more intersect, superlative most intersect)

1. Between sects; intersectarian.

Further reading

• “intersect”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “intersect”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “intersect”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.