# intermediate

Pronunciation: say "in-tur-MEE-dee-uht" /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/

## Adjective

1. Somewhere between two extremes in position, level, or degree.
   - Simple: Coming in the middle, between two ends of a range.
   - _His skills are at an intermediate stage, beyond beginner but not yet expert._
   - _The hike has an intermediate difficulty rating suited to fairly fit walkers._

## Noun

2. Something that occupies a position between two others.
   - Simple: A thing or person that sits in the middle, between two others.
   - _The prototype serves as an intermediate between the early sketch and the final design._
   - _In the company hierarchy, that role functions as an intermediate linking managers and staff._
3. A person or thing that acts as a go-between connecting two parties.
   - Simple: A person who helps two sides talk or deal with each other.
   - _A trusted intermediate carried offers back and forth between the rival camps._
   - _The agency works as an intermediate connecting authors with publishers._
4. A car larger than a compact but smaller than a full-sized model.
   - Simple: A car that is bigger than a small car but smaller than a large one.
   - _She chose an intermediate because it held more luggage than a compact._
   - _Rental companies stock intermediates for travelers who want extra space._
5. Any substance that arises partway through a sequence of chemical reactions, as distinct from the final product.
   - Simple: A substance made during a chain of reactions that is not the final product.
   - _The enzyme stabilizes a reactive intermediate during the catalytic cycle._
   - _Several intermediates appear before the synthesis yields its target molecule._
8. A lightly grooved tire suited to conditions that are damp rather than completely dry or thoroughly wet.
   - Simple: A racing tire with light grooves, used when the track is neither fully dry nor fully wet.
   - _As the drizzle eased, the driver switched to an intermediate._
   - _Several cars pitted for intermediates during the changing weather._
9. A chemical substance produced and sold to commercial customers as an input to other chemical processes.
   - Simple: A chemical product made to be sold to other companies as a raw material for more reactions.
   - _The company specializes in producing an intermediate for the dye industry._
   - _Pharmaceutical firms buy intermediates to synthesize their active ingredients._

## Verb

Pronunciation: US say "in-tur-MEE-dee-ayt" /ˌɪn.tɚˈmi.di.eɪt/; UK say "in-tuh-MEE-dee-ayt" /ˌɪn.təˈmiː.di.eɪt/

6. To mediate, or serve as a go-between.
   - Simple: To act as a go-between for two sides.
   - _The diplomat was asked to intermediate in the border dispute._
   - _Community elders often intermediate when conflicts arise._
7. To arrange something in the manner of a broker.
   - Simple: To arrange a deal, the way a broker does.
   - _The firm intermediates transactions between buyers and sellers._
   - _Banks intermediate large loans for their corporate clients._

## Origin

**Meaning 1** — Borrowed from Medieval Latin intermediātus, the perfect passive participle of intermediō, which comes from intermedius ("intermediate") plus a verb-forming ending.
**Meanings 2–5, 8–9** — Formed by turning the adjective 'intermediate' into a noun; see Etymology 1 for its origin.
**Meanings 6–7** — Borrowed from Medieval Latin intermediātus; see Etymology 1 for the fuller origin.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/intermediate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).