interstice

[in-tur-stis]

noun

plural

interstices 

1. an intervening space.

2. a small or narrow space or interval between things or parts, especially when one of a series of alternating uniform spaces and parts.

   the interstices between the slats of a fence.

3. Roman Catholic Church.,  the interval of time that must elapse, as required by canon law, before promotion to a higher degree of orders.

4. an interval of time.

interstice

/ ɪnˈtɜːstɪs /

noun

1. a minute opening or crevice between things

2. physics the space between adjacent atoms in a crystal lattice

interstice

1. An opening or space, especially a small or narrow one between mineral grains in a rock or within sediments or soil.

Other Word Forms

• intersticed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of interstice¹

1595–1605; < Latin interstitium, equivalent to interstit-, variant stem of intersistere to stand or put between + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of interstice¹

C17: from Latin interstitium interval, from intersistere, from _inter- + sistere to stand

Example Sentences

The actors wallow in the interstices of the dialogue.

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If Joan Didion had an overarching preoccupation as a journalist and novelist, it was to find interstices where truth and myth blend into each other.

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But the plays take place between these shattering events, in the interstices of the drama, where time quietly registers its ultimate authorial presence.

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On the roof, a 28½-foot travertine bench is installed along one side of a long pool that’s horizontally bisected by five thick concrete walls; Kalach, 63, calls the resulting interstices “cubicles.”

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Price herself was well aware of racial interstices.

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