interstice

[ in-tur-stis ]

/ ɪnˈtɜr stɪs /

noun, plural in·ter·stic·es [in-tur-stuh-seez, -stuh-siz] /ɪnˈtɜr stəˌsiz, -stə sɪz/.

an intervening space.

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.

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

an interval of time.

Nearby words

Origin of interstice

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

Related formsin·ter·sticed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for interstices

And it is here, in the interstices between the law and morality, that the pressure for reform starts to build up irresistibly.
The Irrefutable Moral Case Against Goldman|Tunku Varadarajan|April 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST
In the interstices between these he inserted his feet and hands, and thus he let himself down, descending gradually.
The Living Link|James De Mille
Not in the waters of the sea or in the interstices of the rocks outside, but here!
The Golden Slipper|Anna Katharine Green
This became less and less necessary as the water froze round her and in the interstices in her sides.
Farthest North|Fridtjof Nansen

She bent forward and touched the wood, so that the flames slipped in between the interstices of the coal.
Night and Day|Virginia Woolf
The house was not built of adobé, as are most Mexican huts, but of stones, with the interstices plastered with mud.
Out on the Pampas|G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for interstices

interstice

/ (ɪnˈtɜːstɪs) /

noun (usually plural)

a minute opening or crevice between things

physics the space between adjacent atoms in a crystal lattice

Word Origin for interstice

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

Word Origin and History for interstices

interstice

early 15c., from Old French interstice (14c.) and directly from Latin interstitium "interval," literally "space between," from inter- "between" (see inter-) + stem of stare "to stand" (see stet). Related: Interstices.

Medicine definitions for interstices