How often do you use the phrase “now and then?” Next time these words are about to slip from your mouth, exchange them for “intermittently” and you will be on your way to sounding like a true wordsmith!

According to the Oxford Dictionary, intermittent means “occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary adds, “starting, stopping and starting again.” Synonyms include “occasional,” “sporadic” and “periodic.”

Although you may not hear this word often, it can be used in a variety of contexts: intermittent road closures, intermittent rain, an intermittent fever, intermittent controversies, or intermittent lessons. The adverb “intermittently” is also useful. For example, “Negotiations continued intermittently for many years.”

Where does this word come from and what can it teach us?

Intermittent begins with the widely used prefix “inter.” Prefixes modify the meanings of words and are an integral part of modern English. What would we do without “auto,” “bi,” “com,” “dis,” “extra” and “sub”? Learning how words are put together goes a long way toward being able to use them effectively!

According to Collins English Dictionary, the prefix “inter” means “between, among, together, mutually or reciprocally.” An interschool competition occurs between schools. The Olympics is a competition between nations—an international event. If someone interrupts, they burst in between something. And the Internet is a network between computers.

Intermittent, like intermission, comes from the Latin word “mittere” meaning “to send.” It literally means “to send between.”

Make a list of as many words as you can, starting with this prefix. Most dictionaries have several pages with “inter” words. Some interesting ones to begin with are intercept, interloper, intercede and interfere. See how many you can find!