intersection

[ in-ter-sek-shuhn ]

noun

1. a place where two or more roads meet, especially when at least one is a major highway; junction.

   Synonyms: corner, crossing

2. any place of intersection or the act or fact of intersecting.
3. Mathematics.
   1. Also called meet, product. the set of elements that two or more sets have in common. : ∩
   2. the greatest lower bound of two elements in a lattice.

intersection

/ ˈɪntəˌsɛk-; ˌɪntəˈsɛkʃən /

noun

1. a point at which things intersect, esp a road junction
2. the act of intersecting or the state of being intersected
3. maths
   1. a point or set of points common to two or more geometric configurations
   2. Also calledproduct the set of elements that are common to two sets
   3. the operation that yields that set from a pair of given sets. Symbol: ∩, as in A ∩ B

intersection

/ ĭn′tər-sĕk′shən /

1. The point or set of points where one line, surface, or solid crosses another.
2. The set that contains only those elements shared by two or more sets. The intersection of the sets {3,4,5,6} and {4,6,8,10} is the set {4,6}. The symbol for intersection is .
3. Compare union

Derived Forms

• ˌinterˈsectional, adjective

Other Words From

• inter·section·al adjective
• nonin·ter·section·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of intersection¹

First recorded in 1550–60, intersection is from the Latin word intersectiōn- (stem of intersectiō ). See intersect, -ion

Example Sentences

Today, he’s a man happy to live at the intersection of family and collaboration.

From Los Angeles Times

Black mothers are particularly subject to this intersection of drug policy and maternal and infant health.

From Salon

At Wilshire and Gayley, the trip’s loudest, ugliest intersection, I noticed a guy straddling a 10-speed wearing scrubs.

From Los Angeles Times

The auction house said the sale price for the first artwork by a humanoid robot artist "marks a moment in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between A.I. technology and the global art market".

From BBC

Minutes later, sirens can be heard as police arrive on scene at the intersection of State College Boulevard and Orangewood Avenue.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crossing
• interchange
• junction