interstice

American  

[in-tur-stis] / ɪnˈtɜr stɪs /

noun

interstices plural

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.

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interstice British  

/ ɪnˈtɜːstɪs /

noun

1. a minute opening or crevice between things

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

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interstice Scientific  

/ ĭn-tûr′stĭs /

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intersticed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• interstices
  plural

Etymology

Origin of interstice

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

Explanation

Use the noun interstice to mean a tiny gap, like the interstice between your curtains which lets in a thin slice of morning sunlight. An interstice in the clouds might reveal blue sky, and an interstice in your kitchen wall could account for the mouse problem you've had lately. Though interstice is useful for talking about these narrow spaces or openings between things, it's much more commonly used in its plural form. For example, you might complain that in the interstices of your busy day you have to catch up on returning phone calls. The Latin root is interstitium, which literally means "space between."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

interstice interstices

Dark in truck except for crack of light and fresh air coming through small interstice between back doors.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 6, 2013

Alejandra therefore sits at the exact interstice of prohibition and possibility.

From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2013

In the interstice is an oval or egg-shaped mound.'

From Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 422 Volume 17, New Series, January 31, 1852 by Chambers, Robert

On the other hand, the edge of the bar turned away from the wind is always soft, often imperceptible, melting into the blue interstice between it and its next neighbor.

From Modern Painters Volume I (of V) by Ruskin, John

Ralph dropped his other hold lightning-quick, thrust his hand into the interstice, pushed the door still further back, and precipitated himself forward across the floor of an empty box car.

From Ralph on the Engine The Young Fireman of the Limited Mail by Chapman, Allen

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.”

From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2023

Today cornfields stretch to the horizon, but crowded into their interstices are fragments of the prairie that once covered this part of the state.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 13, 2023

In a crowd, the body tries to be smaller, contracting in odd ways to find clear passage, shaping itself to the interstices of precious empty space.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 4, 2021

From this stuck place, though, Specktor determines to map out a territory between success and failure — the interstices where most of us live, though rarely are they spoken of in all-or-nothing Hollywood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2021

The woods were lit with lanterns, and far below in the bay, through the interstices of trees, she could make out the deck lights of moored pleasure boats.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson