interceptor

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English intercept

Proto-Indo-European *-tōr

Proto-Italic *-tōr

Latin -tor

Latin -ātor

Old French -eorbor.

Middle English -our

▲

Latin -torlbor.

English -or

English interceptor

From intercept + -or.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪn.təɹˌsɛp.təɹ/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (US):

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Noun

interceptor (plural interceptors)

1. Anyone or anything that intercepts something else.
2. A combat aircraft designed to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft before they can attack.
3. A guided missile designed to intercept and destroy enemy missiles.
   • 2026 March 5, Thomas Bordeaux, Gianluca Mezzofiore, “Radar bases housing key US missile interceptor hit in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, satellite images show”, in CNN‎^[1], archived from the original on 8 March 2026:

     “The AN-TPY/2 radar is essentially the heart of the THAAD battery, enabling the launch of interceptor missiles and contributing to a networked air defense picture,” he said. “It also happens to be an incredibly expensive piece of kit. The loss of even a single radar of this type would be an operationally significant event. It is probable that a replacement unit would have to be redeployed from elsewhere, which will take time and effort.”

4. (architecture, engineering) A device to trap, remove, or separate hazardous or undesirable matter (such as oil or sand) from normal waste conveyed through it, permitting normal sewage or liquid wastes to discharge into the disposal terminal by gravity.
5. (computing, programming) A hook routine that intercepts normal program flow to carry out a task.
6. A sewer that intercepts sewerage destined for an outfall (e.g. into a river) and redirects it to a treatment plant.

Related terms

• interception
• uninterceptable
• unintercepted

Translations

anything that intercepts something else

• Catalan: interceptor m
• French: intercepteur (fr) m
• Greek: αναχαιτιστής m (anachaitistís), αναχαιτίστρια f (anachaitístria)
• Italian: intercettatore m, intercettore m
• Portuguese: interceptor m, interceptador m
• Spanish: interceptor m, interceptador m
• Ukrainian: перехо́плювач m (perexópljuvač)

combat aircraft designed for interception

• Catalan: interceptor
• French: intercepteur (fr) m
• German: Abfangjäger (de)
• Italian: intercettatore m
• Japanese: 要撃機 (ja) (yōgekiki)
• Portuguese: interceptador m, interceptor m, intercetor m
• Russian: перехватчик (ru) m (perexvatčik)
• Spanish: interceptor m, interceptador m
• Swedish: luftförsvarsflygplan (sv), luftförsvarsjaktflygplan (sv)
• Ukrainian: вини́щувач-перехо́плювач m (vynýščuvač-perexópljuvač)

Latin

Etymology

interceptus, perfect passive participle of intercipiō (“to intercept, cut off”) +‎ -tor

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ɪn.tɛrˈkɛp.tɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [in.terˈt͡ʃɛp.tor]

Noun

interceptor m (genitive interceptōris); third declension

1. interceptor, usurper, embezzler

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	interceptor	interceptōrēs
genitive	interceptōris	interceptōrum
dative	interceptōrī	interceptōribus
accusative	interceptōrem	interceptōrēs
ablative	interceptōre	interceptōribus
vocative	interceptor	interceptōrēs

References

• “interceptor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “interceptor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French intercepteur.

Noun

interceptor n (plural interceptoare)

1. interceptor

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	interceptor	interceptorul	interceptoare	interceptoarele
genitive-dative	interceptor	interceptorului	interceptoare	interceptoarelor
vocative	interceptorule		interceptoarelor

Spanish

Adjective

interceptor (feminine interceptora, masculine plural interceptores, feminine plural interceptoras)

1. that intercepts

Noun

interceptor m (plural interceptores, feminine interceptora, feminine plural interceptoras)

1. interceptor

Further reading

• “interceptor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• Seco, Manuel; Andrés, Olimpia; Ramos, Gabino (2023), “interceptor”, in Diccionario del español actual [Dictionary of Current Spanish] (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA