Etymologically
Log in

intermediate

Etymology and origin of the English word intermediate

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1425
Ultimate origin
Latin (intermedius)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌɪntəˈmiːdiət/, /ˌɪntəˈmiːdiɪt/ (UK); /ˌɪnt̬ɚˈmiːdiət/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is late Middle English, from Medieval Latin intermediātus, lying between,[2][3][4] from Latin intermedius, that which is between, or Late Latin intermedium, a place coming between,[3][2] from inter-, between (see inter-), and medius, in the middle (see middle),[2][3][5] from Proto-Indo-European *medhyo-, middle.[3] Barnhart allows a borrowing through French intermédiat.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Being or occurring between, intervening: probably before 1425, in a translation of Higden;[2] the early 15th century in Etymonline.[3]

Semantic evolution

Hoad dates the word to the 17th century,[4] and the OED's dated senses begin in the 1620s–40s: coming between two times (1623), in a middle place (1646), and in amount or degree (1665).[6] Intervening between persons is from 1783.[6] The noun, something in between, is from 1650.[2][7] In geology an intermediate rock, with middling silica content, is from 1888,[6] and in physics an intermediate neutron from 1947.[6] A class or course for learners with some skill is a later use.[8] Intermediary is from the 18th century.[4]

Timeline

  • before 1425 – intervening.[2]
  • 1623 – between two times.[6]
  • 1650 – the noun.[2]
  • 1665 – in degree.[6]
  • 1888 – intermediate rock.[6]
  • 1947 – intermediate neutron.[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Lying or occurring between two extremes or in a middle position.
  2. Of a class or course, for learners with some skill.

Noun

  1. Something in a middle position or state.
  2. An intermediary.
  3. (chemistry) A substance formed at one stage of a chemical process.

Word family

  • intermediacy
  • intermediately
  • intermediateness
  • intermediation
  • intermediator
  • unintermediate
  • intermediate frequency
  • intermediate school

Usage notes

The verb intermediate, pronounced with a final -ate as in mediate, means to act as an intermediary; it is from the early 17th century, first meaning to interfere.[9][3][10]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  9. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  10. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Cite this entry

“Intermediate.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/intermediate. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·