intervening

Intervening is the present participle of intervene, meaning to come between or to interfere in a process. It is used to describe events or actions that occur between a starting event and its outcome, or actions by a third party that change a situation.

In law, an intervening party, or intervenor, is someone who joins ongoing litigation. Intervenors may have a legal interest in the outcome; courts may grant intervention to allow them to present arguments or protect rights. Intervenor status can be permissive or mandatory, subject to procedural rules.

In statistics and research, an intervening variable (also called a mediator) explains part of the mechanism by which an independent variable affects a dependent variable. It is distinct from a confounding variable, which can distort observed relationships. Researchers identify mediators to understand causal pathways.

In causality and philosophy, an intervening cause is an event that occurs after a primary cause and before the effect, potentially altering the outcome or the result.

Intervening actions frequently arise in social or humanitarian contexts, where individuals or organizations intervene to prevent harm or resolve disputes. The term emphasizes timing and agency—the act of stepping into a situation between its initiating event and its result.

Etymology: intervene comes from Latin interventire (or intervenire), from inter- 'between' and venire 'to come'. The modern form reflects the sense of coming between events to influence their course.