ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˈfirən(t)s, -fēr- noun
( -s )
Etymology: interfere + -ence
1. : the act or process of interfering : a brushing or kicking of feet or ankles in walking or running
2. : the act of meddling in or hampering an activity or process
interference in the affairs of another nation
: obstruction , inhibition
cause of our present economic troubles is laid to political interference with the beneficent workings of private competitive effort for gain — John Dewey
3. : the mutual effect on meeting of two wave trains of the same type so that such wave trains of light produce lines, bands, or fringes either alternately light and dark or variously colored and such wave trains of sound produce silence, increased intensity, or beats — compare fringe 2e, interference colors , interference figure , interference pattern , interference spectrum
4.
a. : incorrect meshing of gear teeth resulting in contact along other than the proper lines of action
b. : contact so close as to produce deformation and stress
5. : an instance of interfering with a patent ; also : the proceeding for determining the question of priority involved
6.
a. : the act of illegally hampering an opponent (as in football)
b. : the act of protecting a ballcarrier or a passer by blocking would-be tacklers ; also : a player providing this protection
7. : the inhibiting of coincident crossing over of genes at loci immediately adjacent to a chiasma
8.
a. : confusion of received radio signals due to strays or undesired signals
b. : something that produces such confusion
9. : the disturbing effect exerted by the learning of an act on the performance of a previously learned act with which it is inconsistent
10. : prevention of typical growth and development of a virus in a suitable host by the presence of another virus in the same host individual — see interference phenomenon