intercept
[ verb in-ter-sept; noun in-ter-sept ]
/ verb ˌɪn tərˈsɛpt; noun ˈɪn tərˌsɛpt /
verb (used with object)
noun
an interception.
Mathematics.
- an intercepted segment of a line.
- (in a coordinate system) the distance from the origin to the point at which a curve or line intersects an axis.
Origin of intercept
OTHER WORDS FROM intercept
Words nearby 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
- a point at which two figures intersect
- the distance from the origin to the point at which a line, curve, or surface cuts a coordinate axis
- an intercepted segment
sport, US and Canadian
the act of intercepting an opponent's pass
Derived forms of intercept
interception, noun interceptive, adjectiveWord Origin for intercept
C16: from Latin
intercipere to seize before arrival, from
inter- +
capere to take
Scientific definitions for interceptive
intercept
[ ĭn′tər-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.