'intermittently-refused' originates from the combination of 'intermittent' and 'refuse'. 'Intermittent' comes from Latin 'intermittere', where 'inter-' meant 'between' and 'mittere' meant 'to send'. 'Refuse' comes from Latin 'refusare', meaning 'to reject'.

'Intermittent' changed from the Latin word 'intermittere' and 'refuse' from 'refusare', eventually forming the modern English compound 'intermittently-refused'.

Initially, 'intermittent' meant 'to send between', and 'refuse' meant 'to reject'. Together, they evolved to describe something that is occasionally denied.