inter-

English

Etymology

From Latin inter- (“between, amid”), a form of prepositional inter (“between”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪntə/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ɪntɚ/, ,
  • Homophone: inner (some dialects)

Prefix

inter-

2. A position which is in between two (or more) of the kind indicated by the root.

   interblog is between blogs, intercausal is between causes, interexperiential is between experiences

   2. A spatial position which is in between two (or more) of the kind of landmark indicated by the root.

      interangular is between angles, interbarb is between barbs, interbronchial is between the bronchi

   4. A social position which is in between two (or more) of the kind of social group indicated by the root.

      interarmy is between armies, interobserver is between observers, interparental is between parents

   6. A temporal position which is in between two (or more) of the kind of event indicated by the root.

      interlitter is between litters (of animals), intermonth is between months, interoccurrence is between occurrences

   8. A temporal position which is in between two successive events of the kind indicated by the root.

      interday is between subsequent days, interdiastolic is between successive diastoles, interpausal is between successive pauses

   10. A spatial position which is in between two adjacent landmarks of the kind indicated by the root.

       interlexical is between consecutive words, intercarinal is between adjacent carinae, intercarbon is between neighbouring carbon atoms

   12. A spatial position between the root landmark and an unspecified reference point.

       interhippocampal is between the hippocampus and other parts of the brain, intermercurial is between Mercury and the Sun, interelectrolyte is between an electrolyte and an electrode

4. Mutually: the root verb or property has a symmetric and bidirectional relationship between the relevant parties.

   interlegible is mutually legible, interattraction is mutual attraction, intercalibrate is to calibrate by means of mutual comparison

6. Combining together: the root verb is done together, generally uniting or merging multiple objects.

   interfuse is to fuse together, interknit is to knit together, interreact is to react together

8. Hybrid: combining two or more of the root together to produce a hybrid.

   interculture is a new culture formed by the merging of aspects of existing cultures, interhalogen is any binary compound of two different halogens, interprime is the mean of two consecutive odd primes

10. Internally: the root verb is done in between or among relevant entities; also formining nouns and adjectives derived from the verb form.

    intershine is to shine among or between, interdistinguish is to distinguish between, interreflection is the illumination of an object by reflected light from other objects that are not light sources

    2. Interspatially: the root verb is done between or among spatial entities; also forming nouns and adjectives derived from the verb form.

       interfriction is friction between two or more things, interflow is the flow of water from rain/snow directly through the soil, intermesh is to mesh between one another, interlay is to insert layers of a different material between

    4. Intersocially: the root verb is done between or among social entities; also forming nouns and adjectives derived from the verb form.

       interact is a pair or series of acts involving more than one person, intermarry is to marry a member of another social group, intergern is to exchange grins or snarls (gerns)

    6. Intermittently: the root verb is done between or among temporal entities; also forming nouns and adjectives derived from the verb form.

       intermention is to mention among other things; interpoint is to punctuate with stops or pauses; interadditive is to added between the parts of another thing, such as a clause inserted parenthetically into a sentence

    8. Transferable: the root entity is or can be transferred between multiple locales.

       interavailable is such that tickets purchased for one route or service can be used on another, intermural is originating as street art but being curated and displayed in a gallery or museum

12. Alternating: a sequence of alternating kinds of the root.

    interlaminate is to arrange in alternating laminae or layers, interplant is to alternate plantings of two or more species, interbed is the interleaving of distinct strata (beds) of rock

14. Link: to connect multiple kinds of the root.

    intercellular is connecting cells, interneuron is a multipolar neuron that connects afferent and efferent neurons, internetwork is to set up as a network of networks

    2. Abutment: to connect multiple spatial regions of the type indicated by the root.

       interoceanic is connecting two oceans, intersesamoidian is connecting sesamoid bones, interregional is connecting two or more regions

    4. Cooperating: to connect multiple social entities of the type indicated by the root.

       interlaboratory is involving cooperation between laboratories, interservice is involving relationships between branches of the armed forces, interliner is a passenger whose journey involves changing from one airline company to another

    6. Overlapping: the overlap of multiple kinds of the root.

       interartistic is involving the overlap of multiple forms of art, intercausative is having overlapping causation, intersectional is the overlap of multiple forms of discrimination

16. Involving multiple of the root.

    interdisciplinary is of or pertaining to multiple distinct academic disciplines, intermodal is relating to more than one mode of transport, intergenetic is pertaining to multiple languages with different roots

    2. Spanning across multiple time periods indicated by the root.

       intergenerational is across generations, intersecular is spanning more than one century (secular)

    4. Universal or independent of the root social groups or time periods.

       intermicronational is independent of micronational boundaries, international is independent of national boundaries, intercurrent is not belonging to any particular season

    6. Communal: a kind of the root which is shared among people.

       interlanguage is a common language used by speakers of different languages, interexperience is experience shared with another person, interownership is the ownership of a resource by multiple parties

18. Intermediate between multiple of the type indicated by the root.

    intergenotype is an intermediate genotype; interform is an intermediate form; intermedia is interdisciplinary activities between media, such as those between drawing and poetry, or between painting and theatre

    2. Midsection: an object which is positioned spatially between multiple of the root.

       interbasin is a waterway between reservoirs, interfascicle is a thickened rib of silica between the fascicles of a centric diatom, intershell is the layer between two stellar shells

    4. Connector: an object of the type of the root has a spatial position which is in between.

       interjoist is a middle joist or crossbeam; interleaf is a sheet of paper or cardboard, placed between layers on a pallet to create a cohesive structure; interarea is an area where the soil composition differs significantly from the surrounding region - this is a converse of the previous sense, where the root indicates the surroundings rather than that which is surrounded

    6. An intermediator or middleman between multiple social entities. The root indicates the kind of intermediator rather than the social entities.

       intermediatrix is a female intermediator; intermessenger is one who carries messages between other parties; intergroup is a group of members of the European Parliament of no particular party or committee, to facilitate the exchange of views

    8. Inserting between multiple entities of the kind indicated by the root.

       internym is the insertion of a quotation between one’s first and last names, interdental is a small toothbrush for cleaning in between adjacent teeth, interlinear is inserted between the lines of a text

    10. Interlude: a time period or event which is intermediate between other time periods. The root indicates what the intermediate event is and not the surrounding periods.

        interpause is a pause between acts, interact is a short act or piece between others, intercadence is the occurrence of an extra beat between the two regular pulse beats

    12. Interval: an event or time period which is intermediate between time periods of the type indicated by the root. Here the surrounding time periods are indicated by the prefix and not the intervening event.

        interlocution is an intermediate decree before final decision, interact is intermediate time period, intercycle is the interval during which the operation of a punched card device was halted to allow time for processing of card contents

20. (technology) Internet: relating to the internet or computer networking.

    internetted is connected into a computer network, interblag is the Internet

22. (LGBT) Intersex: relating to intersex people.

    intersexual is an intersex person; interphobia is fear or hatred of intersex people, intergender is an intersex person whose gender identity is influenced by being intersex

Synonyms

• (between, amid): mid-, dia-
• (within): intra-
• (mutual): co-, con-/com-/col-/cor-, syn-/syl-/sym-
• (reciprocal): cross-

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “within”): extra-

Derived terms

Related terms

• intra-

Translations

See also

• intra-
• super-
• supra-
• trans-

Further reading

• James A. H. Murray [et al.], editors (1884–1928), “Inter-, prefix.”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volumes V (H–K), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 380–383.
• “inter-”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “inter-”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “inter-”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• -retin, -retin-, Terni, Tiner, inert, n-tier, niter, nitre, riten., terin, trine

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin inter.

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Derived terms

Further reading

• “inter-” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “inter-”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “inter-” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “inter-” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Czech

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

   Synonym: mezi-

   ‎inter- + ‎nacionální → ‎internacionální

Further reading

• inter- in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
• inter- in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017

Danish

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Derived terms

Esperanto

Etymology

From Latin inter- (“between, amid”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -inter
• Hyphenation: in‧ter

Prefix

inter-

1. between, among

Derived terms

Finnish

Etymology

From Latin inter-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈint(ː)er-/,

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin inter. Cognate with the non-borrowed form entre-.

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Derived terms

Galician

Etymology

From Latin inter.

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Derived terms

From

.

Further reading

• “inter-” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

German

Etymology

From Latin inter.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Usage notes

• The prefix is productive in German, but only with words and stems borrowed from Latin, Greek, or Romance; not with native Germanic words (unlike English in intertwine, interwind, etc.). The prefixes durch-, unter-, ver-, and zwischen- are used instead depending on the sense.

Derived terms

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: in‧ter

Prefix

inter-

1. (nominal prefix) inter-

Derived terms

See also

• Appendix:Hungarian prefixes

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch inter-, from Latin inter-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér (“between”). Doublet of antar-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: in‧têr

Prefix

intêr-

1. inter-

   Synonyms: antar-, lintas, trans-

Derived terms

Further reading

• “inter-” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Derived terms

Anagrams

• Terni, entri, terni, treni, trine

Latin

Alternative forms

• intel- (before L)

Etymology

From the preposition inter.

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Derived terms

• interpunctus

Descendants

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin inter, inter-.

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Derived terms

References

• “inter-” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “inter-” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin inter, inter-.

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Derived terms

References

• “inter-” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Derived from Latin inter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈin.tɛr/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -intɛr
• Syllabification: in‧ter

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

   ‎inter- + ‎wokaliczny → ‎interwokaliczny

Derived terms

Further reading

• inter- in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin inter-. Doublet of entre-.

Pronunciation

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Derived terms

Spanish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin inter. Doublet of entre-.

Prefix

inter-

1. inter-

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “inter-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014