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Webster 1913 Edition


Interstice

In-ter′stice

(?; 277)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
Interstices
(#)
.
[L.
interstitium
a pause, interval;
inter
between +
sistere
to set, fr.
stare
to stand: cf. F.
interstice
. See
Stand
.]
1.
That which intervenes between one thing and another; especially, a space between things closely set, or between the parts which compose a body; a narrow chink; a crack; a crevice; a hole; an interval;
as, the
interstices
of a wall
.
2.
An interval of time; specifically
(R. C. Ch.)
, in the plural, the intervals which the canon law requires between the reception of the various degrees of orders.
Nonobservance of the
interstices
. . . is a sin.
Addis & Arnold.

Webster 1828 Edition


Interstice

IN'TERSTICE

,
Noun.
[L. interstitium; inter and sto, to stand.]
1.
A space between things; but chiefly, a narrow or small space between things closely set, or the parts which compose a body. We speak of the interstices between the teeth, or between the parts of wood or stone.
2.
Time between one act and another; interval.

Definition 2024


interstice

interstice

English

Noun

interstice (plural interstices)

  1. A small opening or space between objects, especially adjacent objects or objects set closely together, as between cords in a rope or components of a multiconductor electrical cable or between atoms in a crystal.
  2. (figuratively) A fragment of space.
    • 2013 August 14, Simon Jenkins, “Gibraltar and the Falklands deny the logic of history”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 10 August 2014:
      Relics of the British empire now mostly survive in the interstices of the global economy. They are the major winners from the fiscal haemorrhage that has resulted from financial globalisation.
  3. An interval of time required by the Roman Catholic Church between the attainment of different degrees of an order.
  4. (by extension) A small interval of time free to be spent on activities other than one's primary goal.

Quotations

  • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:interstice.

Synonyms

Translations

Derived terms

External links

  • interstice in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • interstice in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

French

Noun

interstice m (plural interstices)

  1. (religion) interstice
  2. gap, interval

Derived terms