All 5 Uses

intervene
in
Jane Eyre
(Auto-generated)

During the intervening period I had no time to nurse chimeras; and I believe I was as active and gay as anybody — Adele excepted.†
p. 191.4 *
The thought of Mrs. O'Gall and Bitternutt Lodge struck cold to my heart; and colder the thought of all the brine and foam, destined, as it seemed, to rush between me and the master at whose side I now walked, and coldest the remembrance of the wider ocean — wealth, caste, custom intervened between me and what I naturally and inevitably loved.†
p. 290.8
He stood between me and every thought of religion, as an eclipse intervenes between man and the broad sun.†
p. 316.9
Jane, I approached the verge of despair; a remnant of self-respect was all that intervened between me and the gulf.†
p. 354.4 *
My star vanished as I drew near: some obstacle had intervened between me and it.†
p. 381.2

Definitions:

(1) (intervene as in: intervened in the war)
the process of getting involved to influence an outcome
The 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
(2) (intervene as in: in the intervening years)
something between two other things -- especially the passage of time between two events
(3) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Much more rarely, intervene can mean:
in various senses, including:
- to verbally interrupt -- as in "Not now!' she intervened."
- to be physically between -- as in: "You can't walk from one hill to the other because an impassable river intervenes."