interstice

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ɪnˈtɝstɪs/ UK /ɪnˈtɜːstɪs/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a small intervening space or gap between things

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

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a small intervening space... gap crevice crack chink aperture interspace

Word family

Derived forms interstitial

Related forms interstitial stitch solstice

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 ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

# 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

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interstice

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