Stepped in to stop something or take action in a situation, especially when trying to prevent something bad from happening.
From Latin 'intervenire,' combining 'inter-' (between) and 'venire' (to come). The word literally means 'to come between,' which perfectly captures the idea of stepping into the middle of a situation.
The word 'intervene' appears constantly in history, but it's loaded—'we intervened to save them' versus 'they intervened in our affairs' describes the exact same action from opposite viewpoints, showing how perspective changes everything!
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