intercept

[ verb in-ter-sept; noun in-ter-sept ]
/ verb ˌɪn tərˈsɛpt; noun ˈɪn tərˌsɛpt /

verb (used with object)

noun

an interception.
Mathematics.
  1. an intercepted segment of a line.
  2. (in a coordinate system) the distance from the origin to the point at which a curve or line intersects an axis.

Origin of intercept

1535–45; < Latin interceptus past participle of intercipere, equivalent to inter- inter- + -cep- (combining form of cap-, stem of capere to take) + -tus past participle suffix; cf. incipient

OTHER WORDS FROM intercept

Example sentences from the Web for interceptive

  • She did not look at him, but this was better than meeting his eye with that interceptive glance.

    Indian Summer |William D. Howells

British Dictionary definitions for interceptive

intercept

verb (ˌɪntəˈsɛpt) (tr)

to stop, deflect, or seize on the way from one place to another; prevent from arriving or proceeding
sport to seize or cut off (a pass) on its way from one opponent to another
maths to cut off, mark off, or bound (some part of a line, curve, plane, or surface)

noun (ˈɪntəˌsɛpt)

maths
  1. a point at which two figures intersect
  2. the distance from the origin to the point at which a line, curve, or surface cuts a coordinate axis
  3. an intercepted segment
sport, US and Canadian the act of intercepting an opponent's pass

Derived forms of intercept

interception, noun interceptive, adjective

Word Origin for intercept

C16: from Latin intercipere to seize before arrival, from inter- + capere to take

Scientific definitions for interceptive

intercept
[ ĭntər-sĕpt′ ]

In a Cartesian coordinate system, the coordinate of a point at which a line, curve, or surface intersects a coordinate axis. If a curve intersects the x-axis at (4,0), then 4 is the curve's x-intercept; if the curve intersects the y-axis at (0,2), then 2 is its y-intercept.