interferencen.
/ɪntəˈfɪərəns/ 1.
a. The action or fact of interfering or intermeddling (with a person, etc., or in some action).
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the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > acting in another's business or intervention > [noun] > interference or meddling
entermetinga1325
intromeddle1524
interfering1562
meddle1602
intermeddling1611
mirding1614
interference1783
meddlinga1797
intermeddlement1836
meddlement1842
intromission1884
1783 E. Burke Rep. Affairs India i, in Wks. XI. 26 The interference of government was introduced by this act in two ways.
1804 W. Tennant Indian Recreat. (ed. 2) II. 247 This tax..with the collection of which the British have avoided all interference..is farmed out.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vi. §4. 305 England..withdrew from any active interference in the struggles of the Continent.
b. Chess. Obstruction of the line of action of one piece by another. Also attributive.
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > positions
stale1423
wardc1475
stalemate1765
Zugzwang1904
interference1913
1913 A. C. White Sam Loyd 303 There are many forms of interference play which have nothing to do with avoiding stalemate... But interference has a far wider scope than the cutting off of one White man by another.
1926 G. Hume & A. C. White Weenink's Chess Probl. 39 In both problems there is mutual interference of the black Rook and Bishop.
1931 G. Hume in A. C. White Probl. by my Friends 210 By forgoing the interference of the Black Bishop with the Black Pawn, a second flight-square has been obtained.
1947 T. R. Dawson Caissa's Fairy Tales 7/2 Rc4, which is Black interference permitting 2 Sb6 mate... The interference and pin ideas create nice new task record objectives.
1963 J. Bochkor tr. J. Bán Tactics of End-games ii. 115/2 We can also make use of line interference by sparing a hostile piece that is closing a line and is thus harmful to its own camp.
c. American Football. (a) The act of interposing between a runner and a tackler to obstruct the latter; (b) see quot. 1895; (c) a player or players who obstruct the tackler or tacklers. Baseball. The act of obstructing a runner between two bases.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > obstructing tackler
interference1894
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > obstructing player with ball
interference1894
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > types of player
side tackle1809
nose guard1852
rusher1877
goalkicker1879
quarterback1879
runner1880
quarter1883
full back1884
left guard1884
snap-back1887
snapper-back1887
running back1891
tackle1891
defensive end1897
guard1897
interferer1897
receiver1897
defensive back1898
defensive tackle1900
safety man1901
ball carrier1902
defensive lineman1902
homebrew1903
offensive lineman1905
lineman1907
returner1911
signal caller1915
rover1916
interference1920
punt returner1926
pass rusher1928
tailback1930
safety1931
blocker1935
faker1938
scatback1946
linesman1947
flanker1953
platoon player1953
corner-back1955
pulling guard1955
split end1955
return man1957
slot-back1959
strong safety1959
wide receiver1960
line-backer1961
pocket passer1963
tight end1963
run blocker1967
wideout1967
blitzer1968
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > baseball > [noun] > fouls or errors
balk1845
foul ball1855
block ball1891
interference1927
rock1937
1894 Outing 24 112/2 The special feature of American Rugby arises from the principle of interference to aid the man running with the ball.
1895 G. J. Manson Sporting Dict. Interference, using the hands or arms in any way to obstruct or hold a player who has got the ball.
1920 W. Camp Football without Coach 59 To amount to anything at all interference must be perfectly timed... On a play between tackle and guard..the interference must reach that point prepared to take care of the tackle, the guard and even the backfield men, too.
1922 D. F. Canfield Rough-hewn xxvi. 241 Where was the ball? Sometimes it came straight through and the next minute on the same formation swung outside—and Neale uselessly buried under the interference.
1927 H. G. Salsinger in Secrets of Baseball 147 Interference plays, too, are scored as they probably have been made.
1969 Official Playing Rules Nat. & Amer. Football Leagues 68 Interlocked interference means the grasping of one and another by, or encircling body to any degree with, hands or arms by offensive players.
d. Sexual assault or molestation.
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society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > loss of chastity > [noun] > indecent assault
indecent assault1861
sexual assault1883
sexual interference1932
molestation1945
interference1968
1968 M. Culpan Vasiliko Affair v. 63 You'll get the pathologist to examine the body. But I'd say no interference.
1972 J. Symons Bloody Murder xii. 160 Before the War..the rape would have been mentioned delicately. ‘Any sign of—interference?’
1973 ‘D. Shannon’ No Holiday for Crime (1974) ii. 27 Not raped, for ninety-nine per cent sure—no interference.
2. Physics. The mutual action of two waves or systems of waves, in reinforcing or neutralizing each other, when their paths meet or cross.Originally introduced to designate phenomena observed in the mutual action of two rays of light, before the establishment of the undulatory theory; subsequently extended to sound-waves, the undulations on the surface of water, etc.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > diffraction > [noun]
diffraction1672
deflectiona1703
inflection1704
interference1830
Fraunhofer diffraction1888
Fresnel diffraction1905
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > types of motion > [noun] > wave > specific actions of waves
interference1830
refraction1874
resonance1886
1802 T. Young in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 92 388 It occurred to me, that their cause must be sought in the interference of two portions of light.]
1830 J. F. W. Herschel Prelim. Disc. Study Nat. Philos. 260 This principle, which is known in optics by the name of the interference of the rays of light.
1831 D. Brewster Treat. Optics xv. §84. 135 The doctrine of interference is in complete accordance with the theory of undulation.
1834 M. Somerville On Connexion Physical Sci. (1849) xxv. 264 Darkness results from the interference of two undulations of light.
1873 W. Lees Acoustics i. iii. 28 The sound-waves proceeding from the prongs of the fork neutralizing each other—an effect known as interference.
Categories »
3. The action of interfering (of a horse): see interfere v. 1 (In modern dictionaries.)
4. U.S. The conflict of claims arising when two applications are made for a similar patent.
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society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > action of courts in claims or grievances > claim at law > [noun] > conflict of claims in patent application
interference1888
attributive.
1888 Scribner's Mag. Aug. 190/2 An application for a patent which, after an interference litigation with Edison, was finally issued to Maxim.
5. Various scientific and technical senses.
a. Broadcasting and Telecommunications. Disturbance of the transmission or reception of signals by the intrusion of extraneous signals; hence, signals collectively or radiation which causes such disturbance, or the effects by which it is perceived (e.g. unwanted sounds in radio reception).
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society > communication > telecommunication > [noun] > signal > noise or interference
interference1887
noise1923
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > signal > [noun] > unwanted part of signal
interference1887
noise1923
1887 Electrician 7 Oct. 462/1 Strong signals were received on the copper [telephone] wires, although they were completely isolated from any possible interference.
1888 Operator & Electr. World XII. 140 (heading) Dynamo current interference with telephone systems and means of relief.
1899 Electrician 17 Nov. 106/2 Before beginning the experiments, Mr. Marconi wrote to the Commission stating that he had an instrument which would render interference practically impossible.
1902 Windsor Mag. May 720/2 Two messages were sent, one in English and one in French. Both were received at the same time on the same wire at Poole..without the least interference.
1913 Year-bk. Wireless Telegr. & Teleph. 85 For the purpose of preventing interference with the working of any other wireless telegraph station.
1914 R. Stanley Text-bk. Wireless Telegr. 292 Undue interference is avoided by the observance of the International Radio Laws.
1926 Encycl. Brit. I. 459/1 The atmosphere is nearly always filled with vagrant radio waves which enter the receiving set, producing noises called ‘interference’.
1932 R. W. Hallows Finding Foreign Stations xiv. 113 Other kinds of apparatus which are apt to radiate interference are refrigerators..and flashing signs.
1943 A. L. Albert Fund. Teleph. xiii. 314 When two or more telephone circuits parallel each other, electric energy may be transferred from one to the other, causing..inductive interference.
1962 J. H. Reyner & P. J. Reyner Radio Communication viii. 311 The interference is conducted by the mains..to the point where the receiver is located.
1964 R. F. Ficchi Electr. Interference ii. 9 Interference is an electrical disturbance created by equipment in one part of a system which is carried into equipment in another part of the system, causing malfunctioning of the latter part.
1966 B.B.C. Handbk. 133 On the television screen the interference is seen as patterns of lines, white flashes or bands of light.
1967 E. L. Gruenberg Handbk. Telemetry & Remote Control xi. 11 Some of the remedies for interference are the use of shielded line between signal source and input section of the data-acquisition equipment, [etc.].
b. Engineering.
(a) The collision of the tips of the teeth of one gear-wheel with the flanks of those of the mating wheel which occurs if the teeth are not cut to a suitable profile.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > parts of wheels > tooth > collision of
butting1881
interference1914
1914 A. E. Ingham Gearing i. 32 If, however, pinions having a low number of teeth are constructed, they are much more undercut below the base line than is consistent with strength or with tooth contact. This ‘undercut’ or ‘interference’ is clearly shown in Fig. 11.
1926 L. J. Bradford & P. B. Eaton Machine Design viii. 149 Contact will have taken place between the tip of the driven tooth and the radial flank of the driving-gear tooth. Since the latter is not the conjugate involute of the former the two curves will not run together and interference takes place.
1948 A. C. Parkinson & W. H. Dawney Gears iv. 39 (1) Involute interference..is avoided by making the whole working profile of involute form, (2) tip interference.. is avoided by making the diameter of the spur pinion a sufficient amount smaller than that of the internal gear.
1966 G. W. Michalec Precision Gearing xi. 591 It is important to avoid even the most isolated interference points because they cause wear that results in rapid degradation of precision quality.
(b) The amount by which the external dimension of a part exceeds the internal dimension of the part into which it has to fit.
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the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > [noun] > difference between external and internal
interference1919
1919 [see interference fit n. at Compounds 2].
1930 L. S. Marks Mech. Engineers' Handbk. (ed. 3) 896 In Table 47 is given a summary of the allowances, allowances plus tolerance, and average interferences for the various classes of fits, as recommended tentatively by the A.S.A. Interference here denotes negative allowance.
1950 T. Nuttall Nat. Cert. Workshop Technol. xv. 124 The force required to pass in the shaft will be much greater with the maximum interference; for this reason the modern tendency is to specify very close limits for both hole and shaft when interference fits are required.
1969 M. Haslehurst Manuf. Technol. xiii. 320 This gives a maximum interference of 0·056 mm and a minimum interference of 0·025 mm.
c. Genetics. The action of one crossover in reducing or increasing (originally only reducing) the chance of a second crossover occurring along the same chromosome, the effect being generally proportional to distance.
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the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > [noun] > changes or actions of genes or chromosomes > cross-over
recombination1903
chiasma1911
crossing-over1912
crossover1912
interference1916
1916 H. J. Muller in Amer. Naturalist 50 288 In a sense, then, the occurrence of one crossing-over interferes with the coincident occurrence of another crossing-over in the same pair of chromosomes, and I have accordingly termed this phenomenon ‘interference’.
1969 G. W. Burns Sci. Genetics vii. 115 Interference appears to be unequal in different parts of a chromosome... In general, interference appears to be greatest near the centromere and at the ends of a chromosome.
d. Aeronautics. (See quot. 1940.)
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society > travel > air or space travel > specific movements or positions of aircraft > aerodynamic forces and concepts > [noun] > influence of one body on another
interference1932
1932 Gloss. Aeronaut. Terms (B.S.I.) (Proofs) iii. 3 Interference, the aerodynamic influence of two or more bodies on one another.
1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 452/2 Interference, the aerodynamic influence of one body upon another. Usually, the head resistance, or drag, of two bodies placed close together will be greater than the total of their separate drags, because of interference.
e. Biology and Medicine. The action of a virus of one kind in inhibiting a virus of another kind in the same host.
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the world > life > biology > organism > micro-organism > virus > [noun] > interference from competing virus
interference1937
1937 Jrnl. Pathol. & Bacteriol. 44 420 In plant viruses the phenomenon of interference is only seen in connection with those viruses that are generically related.
1970 R. Passmore & J. S. Robson Compan. Med. Stud. II. xviii. 108/2 If the viruses are inoculated at different times, the second may not replicate. This is known as interference.
f. Philology. (See quot. 19531.) Also attributive.
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the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > inaccuracy, inexactness > incorrectness of language > [noun] > resulting from bilingualism
interference1940
1940 Language 16 iii. 219 Thus, in describing the difficulty of pronouncing foreign sounds (5), there is no mention of the interference of the speaker's native phonemic habits.
1953 U. Weinreich Lang. in Contact i. 1 Those instances of deviation from the norms of either language which occur in the speech of bilinguals as a result of their familiarity with more than one language..will be referred to as interference phenomena.
1953 U. Weinreich Lang. in Contact i. 11 In speech, interference is like sand carried by a stream; in language, it is the sedimented sand deposited on the bottom of a lake.
1962 W. F. Mackey in J. A. Fishman Readings Sociol. of Lang. (1968) 569 The foregoing characteristics of degree, function, and alternation determine the interference of one language with another in the speech of bilinguals. Interference is the use of features belonging to one language while speaking or writing another.
1962 W. F. Mackey in J. A. Fishman Readings Sociol. of Lang. (1968) 570 In the speech of bilinguals the pattern and amount of interference is not the same at all times and under all circumstances... Interference also varies with the style of discourse used—descriptive, narrative, conversational, etc.
1964 E. Palmer tr. A. Martinet Elements Gen. Linguistics v. 160 Interference..may have the result of increasing the range of phoneme variation.
1965 Amer. Speech 40 63 Galinsky deals less with regular interference phenomena than with occasional borrowings of language-conscious individuals.
1972 J. L. Dillard Black Eng. i. 36 Interference is the term for the influence of one's native language on a language acquired later.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
interference pattern n. (Chiefly senses 2, 5.)
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1933 Discovery May 151/2 As a typical example, I need only mention the interference patterns which appear when light from one source can travel to a screen along two different paths.
1973 Nature 12 Oct. 297/1 The only consistent difference between cross-over and non~cross-over events, apart from the presence or absence of an exchange of homologous segments of chromatids, is in their interference pattern.
interference extinction n.
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1881 Nature No. 622. 515 The well-known interference extinction of undulation evolving precisely-formed rings of darkness.
C2. † interference preventer n. Obsolete an apparatus for reducing interference at a radio receiver.
interference figure n. the figure produced when a section of crystal, appropriately cut, is viewed in converging polarized light.
interference fit n. Engineering a fit between two mating parts for which, within the specified tolerances, there is always an interference between them.
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the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > [noun] > correspondence of size and shape > specific types of fit
running fit1876
interference fit1919
1919 Engineer 23 May 511/2 The following three classes of fit would be needed, i.e., running fits, transition fits, and interference fits.
1973 A. Parrish Mech. Engineer's Ref. Bk. (ed. 11) vii. 31 The magnitude of the interference fit will depend upon the conditions required, i.e. axial, torsional or radial holding ability.
interference-free adj. not causing or not affected by interference.
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society > communication > telecommunication > [adjective] > disturbing reception by intrusion > free from noise or interference
noiseless1931
interference-free1950
1950 Engineering 3 Feb. 140/2 A range of waterproofed and interference-free [electrical] components is being produced.
1965 B.B.C. Handbk. 49 Reception in the overcrowded medium- and long-wave bands continues to be difficult in many areas, in marked contrast to the interference-free reception which VHF can provide.
interference fringe n. one of a series of alternate light and dark bands produced by a diffraction-grating (fringe n. 2g).
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society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > radio equipment > [noun] > radio set > devices for preventing interference
wave trap1875
interference preventer1905
x-stopper1906
trap1927
squelch1937
1905 A. Y. Forrest in J. Erskine-Murray Handbk. Wireless Telegr. (1907) x. 181 Upon changing over to the Fessenden interference preventer, the terrific atmospheric was cut down to such an extent that I was enabled to receive the report.
1914 R. Stanley Text-bk. Wireless Telegr. xix. 292 Marconi patented an interference preventer which involved the use of two aerials and a rotating machine.
interference spectrum n. the spectrum produced by a diffraction-grating (diffraction n. 2); so interference colour, interference phenomena, interference screen, etc.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > chromatism > [noun] > spectrum > types of
Fraunhofer spectrum1837
gas spectrum1859
interference spectrum1860
flame spectrum1862
absorption spectrum1864
fluorescence spectrum1867
band spectrum1869
comparison spectrum1877
infra-red1881
emission spectrum1888
X-ray spectrum1910
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xi. 76 The sun..surrounded by a glory of interference spectra.
1879 O. N. Rood Mod. Chromatics iv. 50 Colours produced in this way are called ‘interference colours’.
1890 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 368 An apparatus for holding an interference screen.
interference suppressor n. an electrical device designed to prevent or reduce the production of interference by the apparatus to which it is fitted.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical engineering > prevention of interference > [noun] > device for
screen1878
shield1919
suppressor1930
interference suppressor1951
1951 Gloss. Terms Plastics Industry (B.S.I.) 41 Interference suppressor.
1966 B.B.C. Handbk. 133 It has for some years been compulsory for all new vehicles and stationary engines using spark ignition to have interference suppressors fitted.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1783- to give the finishing stroke or touch
- to give the fire
- to give the flat
- to give the foil
- to give the foot
- to give the full treatment
- to give the fuzzies
- to give the gaff
- to give the game away
- to give the gang-by
- to give the gangby
- to give the gate
- to give the gaze
- to give the glad hand
- to give the go-around
- to give the go-by
- to give the go-by to
- to give the goaround
- to give the goby
- to give the goby to
- to give the good morning
- to give the gowk to
- to give the grand bounce
- to give the green light
- to give the gun