I. adjective
also in·ter·sti·cial |intə(r)|stishəl
Etymology: interstitial from Late Latin interstiti um + English -al; intersticial alteration (influenced by interstice ) of interstitial
1. : relating to or situated in the interstices
2. : situated within but not restricted to or characteristic of a particular organ or tissue — used chiefly of isolated cells of uncertain origin and function and of the fibrous tissues that bind together cells and tissues
3. : affecting the interstitial tissues of an organ or part
interstitial hepatitis
4. : relating to, characteristic of, or being a solid structure in which usually smaller atoms or ions of one or more nonmetals occupy holes between larger metal atoms or ions in a crystal lattice
interstitial carbides … in which the small carbon atoms occupy interstitial positions in the crystal lattices of the metals — Therald Moeller
• in·ter·sti·tial·ly -shəlē, -li adverb
II. noun
( -s )
: a plant growing in the interstices of an association