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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Intermit

Intermit \In`ter*mit"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Intermitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Intermitting.] [L. intermittere; inter between + mittere, missum, to send: cf. OE. entremeten to busy (one's self) with, F. s'entremettre. See Missile.] To cause to cease for a time, or at intervals; to interrupt; to suspend.

Pray to the gods to intermit the plague.
--Shak.

Intermit

Intermit \In`ter*mit"\, v. i. To cease for a time or at intervals; to moderate; to be intermittent, as a fever.
--Pope.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
intermit

1540s, from Latin intermittere "to leave off, omit, suspend, interrupt, neglect," from inter- "between" (see inter-) + mittere "to send" (see mission). Related: Intermitted; intermitting; intermittingly.

Wiktionary
intermit

vb. (context transitive now rare English) To interrupt, to stop or cease temporarily or periodically; to suspend.

WordNet
intermit
  1. v. cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch" [syn: pause, break]

  2. [also: intermitting, intermitted]

Usage examples of "intermit".

Thus fenc't, and as they thought, thir shame in part Coverd, but not at rest or ease of Mind, They sate them down to weep, nor onely Teares Raind at thir Eyes, but high Winds worse within Began to rise, high Passions, Anger, Hate, Mistrust, Suspicion, Discord, and shook sore Thir inward State of Mind, calme Region once And full of Peace, now tost and turbulent: For Understanding rul'd not, and the Will Heard not her lore, both in subjection now To sensual Appetite, who from beneathe Usurping over sovran Reason claimd Superior sway: From thus distemperd brest, ADAM, estrang'd in look and alterd stile, Speech intermitted thus to EVE renewd.

The huge system of the trades is, for some reason, quite confounded by this multiplicity of reefs, the wind intermits, squalls are frequent from the west and south-west, hurricanes are known.

This was settled by the Laws, yet intermitted, and after a long Interval reviv'd.

As I kept passing and repassing the filling or woof of marline between the long yarns of the warp, using my own hand for the shuttle, and as Queequeg, standing sideways, ever and anon slid his heavy oaken sword between the threads, and idly looking off upon the water, carelessly and unthinkingly drove home every yarn: I say so strange a dreaminess did there then reign all over the ship and all over the sea, only broken by the intermitting dull sound of the sword, that it seemed as if this were the Loom of Time, and I myself were a shuttle mechanically weaving and weaving away at the Fates.

As I kept passing and repassing the filling or woof of marline between the long yarns of the warps, using my own hand for the shuttle, and as Queequeg, standing sideways, ever and anon slid his heavy oaken sword between the threads, and idly looking off upon the water, carelessly and unthinkingly drove home every yarn: I say so strange a dreaminess did there then reign all over the ship and all over the sea, only broken by the intermitting dull sound of the sword, that it seemed as if this were the Loom of Time, and I myself were a shuttle mechanically weaving and weaving away at the Fates.

And there was another sound, intermit- tent but persistent: beyond the mountain, they were bombing fault lines.