DictionaryRoot: -io
Latin

-io

an action, process, or result

Forms

  • -io
  • -ion- — The longer form used before Latin endings.
  • -ion — The form carried into many English nouns.

Origin

An old Latin noun ending, inherited from earlier Indo-European word formation.

Note

The ending can name both an activity and what that activity produces.

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noun

intersection

IN-tur-sek-shun/ˈɪntərsekʃn/

The shared place where separate things meet.

Two roads meet at an intersection marked by crosswalks.

Bird's-eye view of a clear four-way road intersection with sidewalks, crosswalks and a few cars, no street labels.
Etymology

The cutting image describes lines cutting across one another. Originally naming the act or fact of crossing in geometry, intersection came to name the place where roads or paths cross.

In context

Plainly Difficult226:38
the station became a busy intersection. The station is where three lines intersect.
Rewind Year 7 of Plainly Difficult | Youtube Omnibus

More examples

  • Mark the intersection of the two lines.
  • Her research explores the intersection of art and science.
  • The intersection of the two sets contains only even numbers.

Forms

intersection · intersections

intersect verb — To cross or meet one another.

Similar words

junction
Emphasizes a point where roads or other routes join.
crossing
Usually describes where paths cross, rather than broader overlap.
overlap
Emphasizes a shared area rather than a single meeting point.