intercede means to plead on someone else's behalf. It carries an Arena rating of 1609, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, intercede ranks #2,338 of 14,361 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,382 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #2,737 of 14,445 for Most Beautiful Words, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words.
intercede is pronounced /ɪntə(ɹ)ˈsiːd/.
Why “intercede” is a great word
To plead or mediate on behalf of another, or to intervene between parties in a dispute. From Latin intercēdere, from inter- ("between") + cēdere ("to go"), first attested in English c. 1570. Unlike "intervene" (which suggests stepping in to alter a situation, often without specific advocacy) or "mediate" (which emphasizes a formal, neutral facilitation), to intercede is to go personally into the breach with a plea. It is the mother who steps between her son and the landlord, the faint candle carried into the hall of two estranged kings, or the whispered prayer sent heavenward for a suffering soul—a humble motion from the sidelines toward the heart of the conflict, acknowledging that some distances can only be crossed by someone willing to stand in the middle and be seen.
Etymology
First attested in c. 1570. From Middle French intercéder, from Latin intercēdō, from inter- (“between”) + cēdō (“I go”) (English cede), literally “to (act as) go-between”.
verb
- To plead on someone else's behalf.“Our Lady intercedes”
- To act as a mediator in a dispute; to arbitrate or mediate.“I to the Lords will intercede, not doubting / Thir favourable ear,”
- To pass between; to intervene.“He supposed that a vast period interceded between that origination and the age wherein he lived.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.