intermittent
英 [ˌɪntə'mɪtənt] 美 [ˌɪntər'mɪtənt]
adj.间歇的；断断续续的
◉Etymology
“Intermittent” 是由拉丁语的 “intermittere” 演变而来的，“inter” 意为“在…之间”，“mittere” 意为“发送”或“放置”。因此，“intermittent” 字面上指的是“在两者之间放置或停顿”，即不连续或间歇性的。这个词汇在现代英语中广泛用于描述以不规则或间歇方式发生的事物。
◉外刊例句
① 《纽约时报》 (The New York Times), 2023年10月5日
The weather forecast predicts intermittent rain showers throughout the day, so bring an umbrella.
天气预报预测全天将间歇性地有阵雨，所以带上雨伞。
② 《经济学人》 (The Economist), 2023年8月15日
The company’s profits have seen intermittent growth over the past year, largely due to market volatility.
过去一年中，由于市场波动，该公司的利润增长呈现间歇性。
◉经典名著
在列夫·托尔斯泰的小说《战争与和平》（War and Peace）中，作者可能会使用“intermittent”来描述战争的破坏与和平时期的不稳定性：
The war brought intermittent periods of peace and devastation, each leaving a profound impact on the lives of the civilians.
战争带来了间歇性的和平与破坏时期，每一个都深刻影响着平民的生活。
◉Usage Examples
(1) They saw the intermittent flashes from a lighthouse.
(2) He has intermittent bursts of interest.
(3) She suffered from intermittent headache.
(4) There was intermittent debate about.
(5) The air is filled with angry shouts, the intermittent siren .
(1) 他们看见了灯塔发出一闪一灭的光。
(2) 他的兴趣是一阵阵的。
(3) 她患间歇性头痛。
(4) 有过断断续续的辩论。
(5) 空气中充满着人们愤怒的吼声，断断续续的警报声。
◉Usage Notes
Reach for the adjective intermittent to describe periodic movement and stopping and starting over a period of time.
The adjective intermittent modifies things that work or stop and start at periodic intervals. An interesting use of something intermittent is a metronome, a device that marks off time in music by making a sound in a regular pattern. It provides structure for musicians, especially when there are several instruments all playing different melodies at the same time. Other intermittent things are the windshield wipers on your car and thank goodness for them when it rains!
◉Colins
1. [ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词]间歇的；断断续续的 Something that is intermittent happens occasionally rather than continuously.
After three hours of intermittent rain, the game was abandoned.
3 个小时断断续续的降雨之后，比赛取消了。
intermittently
The talks went on intermittently for three years.
会谈开开停停地进行了 3 年。
