Intercession
/ˌɪn.təˈsɛʃ.ən/noun
The act of intervening or pleading on behalf of someone, especially in prayer.
Did you know?Intercession comes from a Latin root used for physically “going between” two sides, which is why the word still carries the eerie power of someone stepping into a sacred conflict on another’s behalf.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ked-
“to go, yield, or step”
Latin
Latin
cedere
“to go, yield, withdraw”
Late Latin
Latin
intercessiō
“an intervening, mediation; entreaty”
Old French
Old French
intercession
“intervention, mediation, prayerful pleading”
Middle English
English
intercession
“mediation or pleading on behalf of another”
Modern English
English
intercession
“the act of pleading or mediating for someone else”