interstice

US /ɪnˈtɝstɪs/ UK /ɪnˈtɜːstɪs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a small intervening space or gap between things

Moss had crept into every interstice of the old stone wall.

Thesaurus

Etymology

From Latin interstitium ('an interval'), from intersistere ('to stand between, pause'), from inter- ('between') + sistere ('to stand, set, cause to stand').

interstitium Latin sistere Latin

View etymology graph ->

External links

# interstice

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈtɝstɪs/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈtɜːstɪs/

## Meanings
1. a small intervening space or gap between things

## Examples
- Moss had crept into every interstice of the old stone wall.

## Synonyms
- gap
- crevice
- crack
- chink
- aperture
- interspace

## Derived Forms
- interstitial

## Related Forms
- interstitial
- stitch
- solstice

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: interstitium
- Root: sistere

## Etymology
From Latin interstitium ('an interval'), from intersistere ('to stand between, pause'), from inter- ('between') + sistere ('to stand, set, cause to stand').

## AI Etymology
interstice comes from Latin interstitium ('an interval'), from intersistere ('to stand between, pause'), from inter- ('between') + sistere ('to stand, set, cause to stand'). Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the noun sense is "a small intervening space or gap between things", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as interstitial, stitch, and solstice, and in derivatives such as interstitial. Its semantic neighborhood includes gap, crevice, crack, and chink, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin interstitium and Latin sistere.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

markdown

interstice

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

External links

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback