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.
intercommunication
intercommunion
intercommunity
intercontinental
interconvertible
interconvertibly
intercosmic
Between, or among, the stars or universes.
intercostal
Situated between the ribs; such as, the intercostal muscles, nerves, arteries, etc.
intercostalgia
Pain between the ribs.
intercourse
intercristal
Between two crests, as between the crests of the ilia (the lower three fifths of the small intestine from the jejunum to the ileocecal valve), applied to one of the pelvic measurements.
interculture, intercultural
Referring to, relating to, involving, or representing different cultures or groups (the beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior of a particular nation or people); such as, an intercultural marriage; an intercultural exchange in the arts; and intercultural understanding.
interdental
interdependence
interdependent
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-.
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