intermission

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The act of intermitting or the state of being intermitted.
2. n. A respite or recess.
3. n. The period between the acts of a theatrical or musical performance. See Synonyms at pause.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of intermitting, or the state of being intermitted; temporary cessation; pause: as, to labor without intermission; intermission of the pulse.
2. n. In medicine, the temporary cessation or subsidence of a disease, as fever; interval between paroxysms. Intermission is an entire cessation, as distinguished from remission or abatement of fever.
3. n. Period of cessation; an intervening time; interval; specifically, recess at school.
4. n. Interference.
5. n. Synonyms and Rest, Suspension, etc. (see stop, n.), interval, interruption, respite.

Wiktionary

1. n. A break between two performances or sessions, such as at a concert, play, seminar, or religious assembly.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act or the state of intermitting; the state of being neglected or disused; disuse; discontinuance.
2. n. Cessation for a time; an intervening period of time; an interval; a temporary pause
3. n. The short period between acts of a play, concert, opera, or other public performance when the audience may leave their seats for refreshment; -- it usually lasts from 10 to 20 minutes.
4. n. (Med.) The temporary cessation or subsidence of a fever; the space of time between the paroxysms of a disease. Intermission is an entire cessation, as distinguished from remission, or abatement of fever.
5. n. obsolete Intervention; interposition.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the act of suspending activity temporarily
2. n. a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something