interstitial
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to, situated in, or forming interstices.
-
Anatomy. situated between the cells of a structure or part.
interstitial tissue.
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to an interstice or interstices
-
physics forming or occurring in an interstice
an interstitial atom
-
chem containing interstitial atoms or ions
an interstitial compound
-
anatomy zoology occurring in the spaces between organs, tissues, etc
interstitial cells
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of interstitial
1640–50; < Latin interstiti ( um ) interstice + -al 1
Explanation
Interstitial has to do with small spaces, called "interstices." Interstices can be literal spaces, like the gaps between your teeth, or they can be figurative, like the few minutes you have between classes. You'll notice that when the noun interstice becomes the adjective interstitial, the -ce- changes to a -ti-. That's a fairly common spelling shift — difference becomes differential, for instance, where the -ti- is actually pronounced like -sh- or -ch-.
Vocabulary lists containing interstitial
Shout
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Vincent and Theo
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The Collectors
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
BPC-157 was discovered by researchers in Croatia in the 1990s and is primarily used as a treatment for interstitial cystitis, knee pain and ulcerative colitis.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Using this technology, the team monitored the movement of cerebrospinal and interstitial fluids along the MMA in five healthy individuals over six hours.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 9, 2026
Those conditions are pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension with interstitial lung disease.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
Salmon is married to artist and illustrator Fiona Hawthorne, who previously revealed she was diagnosed with a rare lung condition, interstitial lung disease, which requires her to use an oxygen tank.
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2026
They are part of each other, interstitial: lodged between each others cells.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
