intercept

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin interceptum, past participle of intercipiō.

verb

1. (transitive) To stop, deflect or divert (something in progress or motion).
   The police intercepted the package of stolen goods while it was in transit.
2. (transitive, sports) To gain possession of (the ball) in a ball game
   1. (transitive, American football) Of a defensive player: to steal a pass thrown by the opposing team, gaining possession of the ball.
3. (transitive, mathematics) To take or comprehend between.
4. To perform an aeronautical action in which a fighter approaches a suspicious aircraft to escort it away from a prohibited area, or approaches an enemy aircraft to shoot it down.

noun

1. An interception of a radio broadcast or a telephone call.
2. An interception of a missile.
3. (algebraic geometry) The coordinate of the point at which a curve intersects an axis.
   the y intercept ― point at which a line crosses the y-axis
   Because the horizontal-axis intercept occurs when y=0 and the vertical-axis intercept occurs when x=0, we can find the intercepts algebraically. 2012, Alice Kaseberg, Greg Cripe, Peter Wildman, Introductory Algebra: Everyday Explorations, page 278
4. (marketing) A form of market research where consumers are intercepted and interviewed in a retail store or mall.