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in·ter·stice

(ĭn-tûrstĭs)

n. pl. in·ter·stic·es (-stĭ-sēz′, -sĭz)

A space, especially a small or narrow one, between things or parts: "There is a gleam of luminous gold, where the sinking western sun has found a first direct interstice in the clouds" (John Fowles).

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin interstitium, from *interstitus, past participle of intersistere, to pause, make a break : inter-, inter- + sistere, to cause to stand, set up; see stā- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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