inter

¹ American  

[in-tur] / ɪnˈtɜr /

verb (used with object)

interred, interring

1. to place (a dead body) in a grave or tomb; bury.

2. to place (a cremation urn) in an aboveground niche or in a grave or tomb.

   Her ashes were interred at the crematorium.

3. to put into the earth.

4. to forget or remove from consideration; abandon.

   Your dreams may be interred by social expectations and the demands of maturity.

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inter- ² American  

1. a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin, where it meant “between,” “among,” “in the midst of,” “mutually,” “reciprocally,” “together,” “during” (intercept; interest ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (intercom; interdepartmental ).

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inter. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. intermediate.

2. interrogation.

3. interrogative.

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inter ¹ British  

/ ɪnˈtɜː /

verb

1. (tr) to place (a body) in the earth; bury, esp with funeral rites

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inter- ² British  

prefix

1. between or among

   international

2. together, mutually, or reciprocally

   interdependent

   interchange

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inter. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. intermediate

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inter– Scientific  

1. A prefix meaning “between” or “among,” as in interplanetary, located between planets.

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Other Word Forms

• reinter verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of inter¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English enteren, from Middle French enterrer, probably from unattested Vulgar Latin interrāre, derivative of terra “earth”; in- ²

Origin of inter-¹

Middle English < Latin (in some words replacing Middle English entre- < Middle French < Latin inter- ), combining form of inter (preposition and adv.); interior

Compare meaning

How does inter compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• inter vs. intrapersonal

Example Sentences

The Navy would spend three years recovering remains of those killed on the Oklahoma and later inter them in two cemeteries in Hawaii.

From Washington Post

“Please advise on the next steps,” he wrote, adding that the family is seeking permission for Smith to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery, next to where Sicknick is buried.

From Washington Post

More than 70 bodies have been interred in the common grave since it was opened Tuesday.

From Seattle Times

The honor will make Ms. Baker — who became a French citizen in 1937 and died in Paris in 1975 — the first Black woman and one of very few foreign-born figures to be interred there.

From New York Times

When it came time to bury Kimi, other villagers were so fearful of the disease that they blocked the entrance to the cemetery with bamboo poles so she could not be interred there.

From New York Times