Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A sudden, short utterance; an ejaculation.
  • noun The part of speech that usually expresses emotion and is capable of standing alone.
  • noun Any of the words belonging to this part of speech, such as Ugh! or Wow!

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of throwing between; an interjecting.
  • noun The act of ejaculating, exclaiming, or forcibly uttering.
  • noun In grammar, an interjected or exclamatory word; a word thrown in between other words or expressions, but having no grammatical relation to them, or used independently, to indicate some access of emotion or passion, and commonly emphasized to the eye in writing by a mark of exclamation, as oh! ah! alas! hurrah!
  • noun A manner or means of expressing emotion with the effect of an interjection.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of interjecting or throwing between; also, that which is interjected.
  • noun (Gram.) A word or form of speech thrown in to express emotion or feeling, as O! Alas! Ha ha! Begone! etc. Compare Exclamation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun grammar An exclamation or filled pause; a word or phrase with no particular grammatical relation to a sentence, often an expression of emotion.
  • noun An interruption; something interjected

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an abrupt emphatic exclamation expressing emotion
  • noun the action of interjecting or interposing an action or remark that interrupts

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French interjection (13c.), from Latin interiectiōnem, accusative singular of interiectiō ("throwing or placing between; interjection"), perfect passive participle of intericiō ("throw or place between"), from inter ("between") + iaciō ("throw").

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Examples

  • Like the English hail (as in “Hail to the Chief”), the German interjection comes from the Old Norse word for whole

    Patriot Acts: The Political Language of Henrich von Kleist 2006

  • A manuscript I'm editing uses "for Christ sake" in dialogue as an interjection, which is fine in the context, but I can't find a decent reference for the most common spelling.

    ianrandalstrock's Journal ianrandalstrock 2006

  • As the interjection is the least important part of speech in the English language, it will require but little attention.

    English Grammar in Familiar Lectures Samuel Kirkham

  • The interjection was her customary specific for the cure of these little tricks of her blood.

    Celt and Saxon — Volume 2 George Meredith 1868

  • The interjection was her customary specific for the cure of these little tricks of her blood.

    Complete Project Gutenberg Works of George Meredith George Meredith 1868

  • The interjection was her customary specific for the cure of these little tricks of her blood.

    Celt and Saxon — Complete George Meredith 1868

  • The interjection is a word used in cries of pain, anger, sorrow, calling, &c.

    Our Own Primary Grammar for the Use of Beginners. Charles Winslow 1861

  • The former deputy chief said that the reason for his interjection is his "concern" and

    SARA - Southeast Asian RSS Aggregator 2010

  • Wilson issued a statement of apology after the speech, saying he had "let my emotions get the best of me" and calling his interjection "inappropriate and regrettable."

    unknown title 2009

  • Perry. he was gone a long time before he come back with him. doctor Perry he took a look at me and sed poison ivory, so he got it did he. then he felt of my stomack and looked at by tung and felt my pulce and heard me grone and gave me a dose of castor oil and then he took out a little popsquirt the litlest i ever see and he sed i gess i shall have to give you a subteranian interjection. i thougt a interjection was a part of speach like alas and o and ah. ennyway that is what the grammar says. but this wasent that kind for the docter run the sharp point of that little popsquert whitch was jest as sharp as a needle rite into my arm. it hurt like time and i hollered but after he had pulled it out i began to feel kind of lite and floty and the ferst i gnew the pane was gone and i dident know nothing more. well the next morning i felt a little beter but not enuf to get up and not enuf to eat but after a while

    Brite and Fair Worth Brehm 1899

Comments

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  • Always think this word sounds kinda rude for some reason.

    October 27, 2007

  • What? No!

    October 27, 2007

  • An interjection is quite often an opportunity to be rude.

    October 30, 2007

  • Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude.

    October 31, 2007