different between intertwine vs intersperse

English

Etymology

inter- +? twine

Verb

intertwine (third-person singular simple present intertwines, present participle intertwining, simple past and past participle intertwined)

1. (transitive) To twine something together.
   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 240c.

     You see, no doubt, that yet again, thanks to this intertwining, our many-headed sophist has forced us against our will to admit that what is not is in a way.

2. (intransitive) To become twined together.

Synonyms

• (twine around each other): entwine

Translations

English

Etymology

From Latin intersperg?, interspersus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?nt?(?)?sp??(?)s/

Verb

intersperse (third-person singular simple present intersperses, present participle interspersing, simple past and past participle interspersed)

1. To mix two things irregularly, placing things of one kind among things of other:
   • 1991, Frank Biocca, Television and Political Advertising: Signs, codes, and images, page 76:

     For example, a commercial sequence might intersperse pictures of a senator working in his office with shots of ordinary Americans happily working in various walks of life.

2. (transitive) To scatter or insert something into or among other things.
   • 1985, Jane Y. Murdock, Barbara V. Hartmann, Communication and language intervention program (CLIP) for individuals with moderate to severe handicaps, page 46:

     Review tasks are particularly useful to intersperse when students are experiencing considerable failure.
3. (transitive) To diversify by placing or inserting other things among something.

   Mother Nature interspersed the petunias with a few dandelions, but it was a pretty garden, anyway.

Related terms

• interspersed
• interspersion

Translations

References

• intersperse in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• intersperse in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• enterprises, entreprises, serpentries