intersection

American  

[in-ter-sek-shuhn] / ˌɪn tərˈsɛk ʃən /

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.

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intersection British  

/ 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 called: product.  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

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intersection Scientific  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• intersectional adjective
• nonintersectional adjective

Etymology

Origin of intersection

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

Example Sentences

A battalion chief sent to investigate that collision then crashed with a vehicle on the same intersection almost an hour later.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2020, at the museum’s intersection of 18th Street and Crickets, the city of Lubbock installed what no one foresaw would be a controversial feature.

From The Wall Street Journal

There have also been early signs of nationalistic Chinese sentiment bubbling to the surface, including an incident in Tokyo involving a person waving a Chinese flag at a busy intersection.

From The Wall Street Journal

Watching onscreen characters trying to get ahead has stoked endless debate over the intersection of career ambition and moral code.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s at this impasse that Freyne and Cunnane’s screenplay starts to spin its wheels trying to find the right intersection between comedy and romance.

From Salon

Related Words

• crossing
• interchange
• junction