to intermit
- verb
- /ˌɪntərˈmɪt/
- Please intermit for a moment!
Examples
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Rain would intermit throughout the afternoon, never stopping for long.
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If your symptoms intermit, it's important to still see a doctor.
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The speaker chose to intermit her lecture for a brief break.
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The rain will intermit throughout the day.
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The rain will intermit for a few hours, allowing us to go outside.
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Please intermit the movie at the midway point so we can take a break.
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They decided to intermit their discussion until after lunch.
Synonyms
To stop an activity or end a habit
To stop someone speaking or an activity
To stop doing something for a short time to rest or relax before continuing
Stop for a short time before continuing
Antonyms
How Interrupted
Surface Forms
Morphology
intermit = inter + mit
Although the form suggests the prefix 'inter-' + root 'mit', 'mit' is not a standalone English word (a Latin combining form), so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from its parts.
Etymology
Intermit comes from old Latin parts inter- ('between') and mittere ('to send'), the same mit you see in transmit. Think of 'sending' something 'between' and pausing in the middle—so to intermit is to stop or pause for a short time before you continue.