Both Uses of
intervene
in
The Time Machine
- So long as I travelled at a high velocity through time, this scarcely mattered; I was, so to speak, attenuated—was slipping like a vapour through the interstices of intervening substances!†
Chpt 3
- That is what dismayed me: the sense of some hitherto unsuspected power, through whose intervention my invention had vanished.†
Chpt 5 *
Definition:
-
(intervene as in: intervened in the war) the process of getting involved to influence an outcomeThe exact meaning of intervention can depend upon its context. For example:
- "intervention program for at-risk youth" -- a process of trying to influence the direction of someone's life
- "medical intervention" -- action taken to improve a medical outcome
- "military intervention" -- interference by a government in affairs of another government (in this case to interfere militarily)
- "had a family intervention" -- an organized meeting of family members to encourage someone (who is often surprised) to recognize and work at solving a problem such as substance abuse