intermitting

Intermitting is the present participle of the verb intermit, meaning to suspend temporarily or to cause a pause between periods of activity. In modern usage, intermit is rare and the typical adjective describing a pattern of pauses is intermittent. The noun most often used to describe pauses or breaks is intermission or interval. As such, intermitting is chiefly encountered in historical, medical, or technical texts, where it may describe processes that occur in fits and starts rather than continuously.

Etymology and sense: intermit derives from Latin intermittere, meaning to interrupt or suspend, formed from inter- “between” and mittere “to send.” In English, intermitting retains the sense of something that stops for a period and then resumes. Because the standard, widely understood term is intermittent, intermitting is often considered archaic or specialized. The adverb form intermittent is more common, and intermittently is used to describe the manner in which something happens.

Usage notes: In contemporary writing, intermitting is seldom needed except when quoting or documenting older sources. When describing recurring pauses in general, prefer intermittent or intermittently. If used as a verb, intermit means to suspend briefly; the usage is rare and can be considered obsolescent in modern English.

See also: intermittent, intermittence, intermission, remittent.

Examples: The fever was intermitting, with spikes followed by days of normal temperature. Equipment operated in an intermitting pattern, cycling on and off at regular intervals.