interstice

[in-tur-stis]

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.

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. 2018

Related Words for interstices

cranny, fissure, space, interval, gap, crevice, slit, aperture, cleft, hole, chink

Examples from the Web for interstices

Contemporary Examples of 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

Historical Examples of interstices

They pressed their ears to the interstices, listening for the sound of a groan, for a sigh of pain.
A Set of Six
Joseph Conrad
His home was but a cabin of logs, with the interstices stuffed with moss.
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and Their Interviews with the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago
John S. C. Abbott
The interstices between the logs were filled with moss or clay.
Daniel Boone
John S. C. Abbott
The interstices of these are also filled up with the same membrane.
Life And Adventures Of Peter Wilkins, Vol. I. (of II.)
Robert Paltock
They could easily have slipped into the interstices of the broken pan and not have been observed by him.
From Sand Hill to Pine
Bret Harte

British Dictionary definitions for interstices

interstice

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.

interstices in Medicine