online medical dictionary | definition of intermission

1. The act or the state of intermitting; the state of being neglected or disused; disuse; discontinuance.

2. Cessation for a time; an intervening period of time; an interval; a temporary pause; as, to labour without intermission; an intermission of ten minutes. "Rest or intermission none I find." (Milton)

3. <medicine> The temporary cessation or subsidence of a fever; the space of time between the paroxysms of a disease. Intermission is an entire cessation, as distinguished from remission, or abatement of fever.

4. Intervention; interposition.

Synonyms: Cessation, interruption, interval, pause, stop, rest, suspension. See Cessation.

Origin: L. Intermissio: cf. F. Intermission. See Intermit.

(01 Mar 1998)