Dictionary

interact en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɪn.təˈɹækt/ (Australia, UK)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌɪn.tɚˈækt/ (Canada, US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *-tér Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥tér Proto-Italic *n̥ter Latin inter Latin inter-bor. English inter- Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Latin ācta Old French actbor. Middle English acte English act English interact From inter- + act.

Meanings

1. (dated) A short act or piece between others, as in a play; a break between acts.
   • The play gives detailed descriptions of the instruments used in the interact music […] 1980, Mary Chan, Music in the Theatre of Ben Jonson, Oxford: Clarendon, Part 1, Chapter 1, p. 15:
   • 1912, William Archer, London: Chapman & Hall, Chapter 8, pp. 108-109, […] the flight of time is best indicated by an interact. When the curtain is down, the action on the stage remains, as it were, in suspense. The audience lets its attention revert to the affairs of real life; and it is quite willing, when the mimic world is once more revealed, to suppose that any reasonable space of time has elapsed […]
2. (obsolete) Intermediate employment or time.
   • 1750, Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, Letters Written […] to His Son, London: P. Dodsley, 10th edition, 1792, Volume 2, Letter 219, p. 344, Play, in good company, is only play, and not gaming; not deep, and consequently not dangerous nor dishonourable. It is only the inter-acts of other amusements.
3. A pair or series of acts involving more than one person.
   • Inasmuch as it is impossible to analyze the contents of an entire interpersonal relationship, it is helpful to conceptualize a given communication event as consisting of a series of subevents. Any one subevent may be pulled out as a basic unit for analysis in the study of interpersonal communication; this basic unit may then be called an interact. […] each interact is a distinctive attempt to conceal, repeat, or disclose information and/or to influence the relationship. 1975, Ralph Webb, Jr., chapter 1, in Interpersonal Speech Communication: Principles and Practices, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, pages 23–24:
   • As they listened to groups communicate, Fisher and his coworkers noted what each group member said (labeled a speech act) and how the next person responded. This pairing of speech acts is called an interact. 1991, Michael Z. Hackman, Craig E. Johnson, chapter 6, in Leadership: A Communication Perspective, Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, page 123:

Forms

Relateds

interactome · interactee · interactant · interactor · interactive · interaction · interactable

Synonyms

intermission · interlude · entracte

Translations (4)

nl entr’acte (act or piece between others) · nl tussenspel (act or piece between others) · bg интермедия (act or piece between others) · fr entr’acte (act or piece between others)

interact en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɪn.təˈɹækt/ (Australia, UK)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌɪn.tɚˈækt/ (Canada, US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *-tér Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥tér Proto-Italic *n̥ter Latin inter Latin inter-bor. English inter- Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Latin ācta Old French actbor. Middle English acte English act English interact From inter- + act.

Meanings

1. (intransitive, of people) To act upon each other. ▸ To engage in communication and other shared activities (with someone).
   • The way staff interact with each other during breaks can play an important role in the workplace.
2. (intransitive, of two or more things) To act upon each other. ▸ To affect each other.
   • This medication can interact with alcohol, so it's best to avoid drinking while you're taking it.
   • It is now known that many pairs of organic phosphate insecticides are highly dangerous, the toxicity being stepped up or “potentiated” through the combined action. […] Residues well within the legally permissible limits may interact. 1962, Rachel Carson, chapter 3, in Silent Spring, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, pages 31–32:
   • The fortunes of the master and the servant, intimately interacting, rose together. The Baron’s secret skill had given Leopold his unexceptionable kingdom; and Leopold, in his turn, as time went on, was able to furnish the Baron with more and more keys to more and more back doors. 1921, Lytton Strachey, chapter 3, in Queen Victoria,, London: Collins, published 1958, page 69:

Forms

Deriveds

interactability · interactment · interact with · misinteract

Translations (38)

vi tương tác (act upon each other) · sk interagovať (act upon each other) · nl interageren (act upon each other) · de interagieren (act upon each other) · fr interagir (act upon each other) · ca interactuar (act upon each other) · ja 相呼応する (act upon each other) · nl in wisselwerking zijn met (act upon each other) · bg взаимоде́йствам (act upon each other) · es interactuar (act upon each other) · eo interagi (act upon each other) · ru взаимоде́йствовать (act upon each other) · gl interactuar (act upon each other) · pl wchodzić w interakcję (act upon each other) · ja 相互作用する (act upon each other) · fi vuorovaikuttaa (act upon each other) · it interagire (act upon each other) · sk vzájomne pôsobiť (act upon each other) · sh interagirati (act upon each other) · ca relacionar-se (act upon each other) · cmn 互動 /互动 (act upon each other) · nn ha omgang med (act upon each other) · km ធ្វើអន្តរកម្ម (act upon each other) · ms bersaling tindak (act upon each other) · ro interacționa (act upon each other) · sq bashkëveproj (act upon each other) · sh uzajamno djelovati (act upon each other) · mi tauwhitiwhiti (act upon each other) · sv interagera (act upon each other) · mi tāutuutu (act upon each other) · uk взаємоді́яти (act upon each other) · pl interagować (act upon each other) · ms berinteraksi (act upon each other) · fi olla vuorovaikutuksessa (act upon each other) · el αλληλεπιδρώ (act upon each other) · nl elkaar beïnvloeden (act upon each other) · cs interagovat (act upon each other) · pt interagir (act upon each other)