inter

¹ American  

[in-tur] / ɪnˈtɜr /

verb (used with object)

interred, interring

1. to place (a dead body) in a grave or tomb; bury.

2. to place (a cremation urn) in an aboveground niche or in a grave or tomb.

   Her ashes were interred at the crematorium.

3. to put into the earth.

4. to forget or remove from consideration; abandon.

   Your dreams may be interred by social expectations and the demands of maturity.

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inter- ² American  

1. a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin, where it meant “between,” “among,” “in the midst of,” “mutually,” “reciprocally,” “together,” “during” (intercept; interest ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (intercom; interdepartmental ).

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inter. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. intermediate.

2. interrogation.

3. interrogative.

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inter ¹ British  

/ ɪnˈtɜː /

verb

1. (tr) to place (a body) in the earth; bury, esp with funeral rites

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inter. ² British  

abbreviation

1. intermediate

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inter- ³ British  

prefix

1. between or among

   international

2. together, mutually, or reciprocally

   interdependent

   interchange

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inter– Scientific  

1. A prefix meaning “between” or “among,” as in interplanetary, located between planets.

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Other Word Forms

• reinter verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of inter¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English enteren, from Middle French enterrer, probably from unattested Vulgar Latin interrāre, derivative of terra “earth”; in- ²

Origin of inter-²

Middle English < Latin (in some words replacing Middle English entre- < Middle French < Latin inter- ), combining form of inter (preposition and adv.); interior

Compare meaning

How does inter compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• inter vs. intrapersonal

Explanation

Inter means to bury, usually in a tomb or grave. If you loved your cat a lot, you might want to inter her remains in the back yard and make a nice little memorial. Most of the time, the word inter is going to be about burying someone or something. Often times, a family owns a plot of land in a cemetery where all family members are interred when they die. Occasionally, you might see it in the phrase "inter alia," a literary Latin expression meaning "among other things." Your professor is probably a poet and a scholar, inter alia.

Example Sentences

The wet may provide more grip when it's very wet, but the extra flexibility of the inter will always win out if the conditions are variable, as they were at Silverstone.

From BBC • Jul. 15, 2025

The museum has an ethical obligation to “exhaust all means” of finding people’s names and families before deciding to inter them, she says.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 23, 2024

On Monday afternoon, half a dozen gravediggers took a break in the shade, waiting for the latest coffin to inter at the cemetery, called Lychakiv.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2023

At Hollywood Forever, and just about every other cemetery, you can inter a box or urn of ashes in the ground under a gravestone, where you’d lay the casket in a traditional burial.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2023

Enter inter they hearts ’n’ breathe compassion on they sperits!

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright