inter-, intero-
(Latin: between; among, mutually, together; on the inside, internal)
Although abstracted from the many compounds in which it entered English, the form inter- was not generally considered a living prefix in English until the 1400s.
During the later period of Middle English many words borrowed in the Old and Middle French forms entre-, enter- began to be consciously respelled with Latin inter-; although vestiges of the older French borrowings are found in entertain and enterprise.
The living prefix inter- is now freely added to almost any element in English to create such formations with the meaning of "between" and "among". The words formed by intra- are closely related to this inter- prefix; in fact, they both apparently came from the same Latin source.
ad interim; ad int., a.i.
For the interval, temporarily, in the meantime.
anterointernal
Caput inter nubila condit.
She hides her head among the clouds.
Who is she that hides her head in the clouds? The line is from Virgil, who had the personified Fame in mind as the subject of the verb condit. For most people, fame never emerges from behind the clouds; instead, most people labor in obscurity, waiting for their few minutes of fame that never comes.
Electromagnetic interferance (EMI
Interference caused when the radio waves of one device distort the waves of another.
Cells phones, wireless computers and even robots in factories can produce radio waves that interfere with RFID tags.
interact
interaction
interactive
interactively
interamnian
Lying between rivers, like Mesopotamia; enclosed by rivers.
interannual
interborough
interbreed
intercalary
intercalate
intercalation
Related "together" units:
com-;
greg-;
struct-.
Cross references of word families related directly, or indirectly, to: "internal organs, entrails, inside":
ent-;
enter-;
fistul-;
incret-;
intra-;
splanchn-;
viscer-.
Subscribe to this FREE Focusing on Words Newsletter