inter

1 of 2

verb

in·​ter in-ˈtər How to pronounce inter (audio)
interred; interring

transitive verb

: to deposit (a dead body) in the earth or in a tomb

inter-

2 of 2

prefix

1
: between : among : in the midst
intercrop
interpenetrate
interstellar
2
: reciprocal
interrelation
: reciprocally
intermarry
3
: located between
interstation
4
: carried on between
international
5
: occurring between
interborough
: intervening
interglacial
6
: shared by, involving, or derived from two or more
interfaith
7
: between the limits of : within
intertropical
8
: existing between
intercommunal
intercompany

Examples of inter in a Sentence

Verb a burial site where people have been interred for over a thousand years the soldier was interred with great honors at Arlington National Cemetery
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The remains were interred at Fort McKinley Cemetery in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, after being declared unidentifiable. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 12 Sep. 2023 If the zoo moves forward with plans in the proposal, an archeologist from the University of Alabama will excavate the site and collect any remains and items interred there. Joseph D. Bryant | Jbryant@al.com, al, 2 Aug. 2023 The anonymous body interred here was brought in November 1920 from a battlefield in France. Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023 More than 4,700 indigent people were interred at the old cemetery between 1888 and about 1909. Joseph D. Bryant | Jbryant@al.com, al, 21 Aug. 2023 Also, the remains were interred with few indicators of differing social class or wealth. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Aug. 2023 By interring the theory, Chief Justice Roberts executed a transparent volte-face. Simon Lazarus, The New Republic, 16 Aug. 2023 These groups consisted of mothers, children, and siblings — males were interred separately under the Moravian church burial practices used in the area. Usha Lee McFarling, STAT, 3 Aug. 2023 In 1948, the remains were declared unidentifiable and interred at what would be known as the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English enteren, from Anglo-French enterrer, from Vulgar Latin *interrare, from in- + Latin terra earth — more at terrace entry 1

Prefix

borrowed from Latin, prefixal use of inter "among, between," going back to Indo-European *h1en-ter- (whence also Old Irish eter, iter "between," Old Welsh ithr, Breton etre, entre, all from Celtic *enter; Sanskrit antár "within," Avestan aṇtarə); from a nominal derivative *h1enter-o- "part located inside," Old Norse iðr, innr, indr "entrails," iðrar (feminine plural) "bowels," Greek éntera (neuter plural) "intestines," Armenian ənderkʼ (plural), Sanskrit ántara- "located inside," Avestan antara-

Note: Indo-European *h1en-ter- is formed from the locational particle *h1en- "in" (see in entry 1) and the suffix of opposition and contrast -ter-. A zero-grade derivative *h1n̥-tér- is reflected in Old Saxon undar "between," Old High German untar, though in Germanic this etymon appears to have merged completely with outcomes of *(H)n̥-dher- "below, under" (see under entry 1).

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near inter

Cite this Entry

“Inter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inter. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

inter

1 of 2 verb
in·​ter in-ˈtər How to pronounce inter (audio)
interred; interring

inter-

2 of 2 prefix
1
: between : among : in the midst
interlock
interstellar
2
: reciprocal
interrelate
: reciprocally
interact
3
: located or occurring between
interlining
4
: carried on between
international
5
: shared by or involving two or more
interracial
Etymology

Verb

from the Latin phrase in terra "in the earth"

Prefix

derived from Latin inter "between, among"

More from Merriam-Webster on inter

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