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intercalation

intercalation

1 9.9
An act of adding something between other parts, often a day in a calendar
  • noun
  • /ˌɪntərkəˈleɪʃən/
  • Specialized
: intercalación
  • Intercalation in limb regeneration processes has mainly been studied in amphibians.

Examples

  • We know intercalation is more is perpendicular to the axis of the DNA.

  • These results suggest that neither cell proliferation nor cell death is the primary force of the intercalation response in chick limb buds. Mitogenic activity was measured by pH 3 immunofluorescence. The left column shows the control samples with the PBS-soaked bead.

    Academic text (2018)
  • In this way, we're using the X-rays to directly see the intercalation in the batteries as they run in.

  • Recently, Fgf-mediated intercalation was demonstrated in axolotl limbs 7, 21.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Solid C60, once it was produced in quantity, was shown to have a number of remarkable properties, including superconductivity after intercalation with alkali metal atoms.

    Academic text (1999)
  • That poisoning seems to have a greater effect on cancer cells, because cancer cells divide more quickly than normal cells do, and the cell-killing effects of multiple DNA intercalations or alkylations kick in that much sooner.

    Blog text (18)
  • A classical grafting experiment reported that intercalation did not take place if a distal part was transplanted onto an amputated limb bud at an expected stylopod 14.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Indexicals are everywhere in medieval manuscripts, taking various forms, such as marginal commentary and images, rubrics, illuminations, scribal colophons, and textual intercalation.

    Academic text (2004)
  • "The geometry itself is so eloquent; what more need be said—the exception in an otherwise unvarying order of even rows; the intercalation into a linear sequence, granted so that both pairs of infant twins might lie together in death.

    Academic text (1990)
  • In some calendars, the intercalation of an extra day or month helps align it with the solar year.

Synonyms

interpolation
vsintercalation
1 7.8

An interruption that breaks the normal flow of speech or events

is more neutral, meaning insertion between parts without interrupting flow
interposition
vsintercalation
1 9.2

Stepping in with a remark or action to interrupt a discussion

focuses on neutral insertion between sequence elements rather than intervention
interspersal
vsintercalation
1 8.6

Putting things like jokes or pictures between other material at different points

refers to single insertion between parts, not repeated spacing
embolism
vsintercalation
  • Archaic
9.9

Adding a day or month to a calendar to keep it in line with the year

is the general act of inserting parts in a sequence, not only calendars
interspersion
vsintercalation
9.7

Placing different things among others so they are spread out

means a one-time insertion into a sequence rather than repeated spacing

Surface Forms

intercalation singular

Morphology

intercalation = intercalate (semi-transparent) = inter + cal + ion

Formed by adding the noun-forming suffix to the verb 'intercalate'; the verb and prefix 'inter-' are meaningful but the root 'cal' is not a standalone English word and the usage is somewhat technical.

Etymology

The word intercalation comes from the Latin part inter- meaning 'between' and a root related to calendar, so it originally meant putting days or layers in 'between' other parts. That's why today intercalation means inserting something (like a leap day) into a sequence to keep things in order.