Other forms: interceded, intercedes, interceding
To intercede is to speak up on somebody's behalf. Intercede with the king, intercede for him, interceded on her behalf.
The pleader is a third party and the plea is for mercy or favour rather than justice, which is what distinguishes interceding from defending. It is common in religious language, where saints intercede. Note intercession; and that the Latin means to go between, so an intercessor stands between two parties.
1verbintercedeTo speak up on somebody's behalf.
“When the teacher tried to punish the whole class, the head interceded for the innocent students.”
intercede is a pleading for another.
Latin intercedere is inter plus cedere, to go — literally to go between. Cede, concede and precede come from the same going.
Latin
intercēdō
Middle French
intercéder
English, today
intercede
Built from
c. From Middle French intercéder, from Latin intercēdō, from inter- (“between”) + cedo (“I go”) (English cede), literally “to (act as) go-between”.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA