intercession
n.the act of asking for help or forgiveness on behalf of someone else. It is often used in religious contexts when people pray for others.
n.the act of intervening on behalf of another to obtain a favor, mercy, or relief. Frequently associated with theological contexts where a third party mediates between a deity and a supplicant.
“The priest offered a prayer of intercession for the sick.”
“The diplomat's intercession eventually led to a ceasefire between the two warring factions.”
“In many traditional liturgical practices, the intercession of saints is believed to provide a direct channel for the faithful to seek divine mercy and guidance.”
“As a righteous, zealous partisan herself, Astell envisioned meeting her ‘enemies in heaven hereafter’ where ‘they shall be sensible that their admission is in some measure owing to our own importunate intercessions for them’.”
First attested in the early 15th Century. From Middle French intercession, from Old French intercession, from Latin intercessiō, from intercēdō, from inter- (“between”) + cēdō (“to go”) (English cede), literally “go-between”.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.