interstice

[ in-tur-stis ]
See synonyms for interstice on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural in·ter·stic·es [in-tur-stuh-seez, -stuh-siz]. /ɪnˈtɜr stəˌsiz, -stə sɪz/.
  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.

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

  2. an interval of time.

Origin of interstice

1
1595–1605; <Latin interstitium, equivalent to interstit-, variant stem of intersistere to stand or put between + -ium-ium

Other words from interstice

  • in·ter·sticed, adjective

Words Nearby interstice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use interstice in a sentence

  • There was only one crack, and that a very little one; nevertheless he worked his claws into the interstice and dug.

    Lives of the Fur Folk | M. D. Haviland
  • She threw on a heavy bathrobe and kept it on when she crept into the icy interstice between the all-too-snowy sheets.

    The Cup of Fury | Rupert Hughes
  • I turn now to the literary work which filled every available interstice of time.

  • Wherever the eye found interstice between the fronds of spruce and hemlock the stars spangled the frosty blue.

  • He made a movement to close the door, but Marcos put his thickly booted foot in the interstice.

    The Velvet Glove | Henry Seton Merriman

British Dictionary definitions for interstice

interstice

/ (ɪnˈtɜːstɪs) /


noun(usually plural)
  1. a minute opening or crevice between things

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

Origin of interstice

1
C17: from Latin interstitium interval, from intersistere, from inter- + sistere to stand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for interstice

interstice

[ ĭn-tûrstĭs ]


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

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.