Intervention

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɪntɚˈvɛnʃən/

Definitions

1. A deliberate action taken to improve a situation, prevent harm, or alter the course of events
2. A purposeful act of reaching into a scenario to effect change, often undertaken to improve conditions or outcomes in various fields including health and social services
3. An act of stepping in to modify or influence a situation, often aimed at improving circumstances or preventing negative consequences

Etymology: The Latin root of "intervention" is "intervenire," which combined "inter" ("between") with "venire" ("to come"), so the original sense was something like "to come between." That image of stepping into the middle of a matter stayed with the word as it passed through Latin's "interventio," meaning a coming between or an interposition, into Middle French as "intervention." English borrowed the word from French, and its earliest uses were in a legal and diplomatic sense: an interference or interposition in another's affairs. The modern sense of a deliberate act meant to change a situation for the better, as in medical or social "interventions," developed later as the word broadened beyond its original focus on interference between parties. The English noun is built from the verb "intervene" plus the suffix "-tion," which turns a verb into a noun of action. The verb's own meaning, to come between or to occur in the midst of something, is still visible in the noun's core idea of stepping into the middle of events.

Synonyms: interference, intercession, mediation, interposition, intrusion

Antonyms: neglect, indifference, inaction, disregard, omission