interstice

noun in·ter·stice \ in-ˈtər-stəs \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

plural interstices play \in-ˈtər-stə-ˌsēz, -stə-səz\

1 a : a space that intervenes between things; especially : one between closely spaced things

interstices of a wall

b : a gap or break in something generally continuous

the interstices of society

passages of genuine literary merit in the interstices of the ludicrous … plots
—Joyce Carol Oates

2 : a short space of time between events

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Examples of interstice in a Sentence

there's an occasional interstice in the tedium, but most of the novel is boring
pesky weeds growing in the interstices between the flagstones

Recent Examples of interstice from the Web

That’s what Schuleit Haber offers from the interstices: the opportunity to wonder, rather than to know.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "Not illustrating, but dancing with," 4 Apr. 2018
David Sedaris, on the other hand, revels in those moments, finding meaning and humor in life’s interstices.

— david takami, The Seattle Times, "Steal a look: Diary entries offer glimpse into David Sedaris’ humor," 11 June 2017
Her shapes intersect at awkward angles but often stop short of touching, exposing slivers and interstices of bare canvas that create a jangly autonomy of parts.

— roberta smith and martha schwendener, New York Times, "What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week," 1 June 2017
The film makes another argument: that hatred can fester even in the interstices of liberal democracies.

— daniel wenger, The New Yorker, "The Tragic Lessons of Cinema’s First Gay Love Story," 14 Feb. 2017
Hassan Schroeder's duct tape metaphor is apt, because Perl is most at home in the interstices of other programs and systems –

— steve silberman, WIRED, "Scripting on the Lido Deck," 1 Oct. 2000

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'interstice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

You don't need to read between the lines to understand the history of interstice; its etymology is plain to see. Interstice derives from the Latin interstitium, which is itself formed from the prefix inter-, meaning "between," and -stes, meaning "standing." Interstices are the cracks and crevices of life, and the word is often used for both the literal and figurative gaps of the world. In modern uses, interstice can even refer to gaps in time or to special niches in the larger expanse of something else. Evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould used it, for example, to comment, "Dinosaurs held sway for 100 million years while mammals, all the while, lived as small animals in the interstices of their world."