Meanings
nouninterval (plural intervals)
plural intervals
- A distance in space.
'Twixt host and host but narrow space was left, / A dreadful interval.
1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC1 more example
[M]any attempts were made to prevent the spreading of it [the fire] by pulling down Houses, and making great Intervals, but all in vain, the Fire seizing upon the Timber and Rubbish, and so continuing it set even through those spaces […]
1666 September 8, The London Gazette - A period of time.
the interval between contractions during childbirth
- IndiaUKAn intermission.
- hobbieshalf time, a scheduled intermission between the periods of play.
Spain made three substitutions at the interval, sending on former Arsenal captain Fabregas, Chelsea's Juan Mata and Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina for Xavi, David Silva and Casillas.
2011 November 12, “International friendly: England 1-0 Spain”, in BBC Sport
Synonyms & antonyms
Narrower
nouna definite length of time marked off by two instants
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinintervallum“space between, interval, distance, interval of time, pause, difference; literally, space between two palisades or walls”
- Old Frenchintervalle
- Middle Englishinterval
- Englishinterval
From Middle English interval, intervalle, from Old French intervalle, entreval, from Latin intervallum (“space between, interval, distance, interval of time, pause, difference; literally, space between two palisades or walls”), from inter (“between”) + vallum (“palisade, wall”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek διάλειμμα, διάλειμμα
- διάλειμμα (diáleimma)distance in space
- διάλειμμα (diáleimma)period of time
Arabic فَاصِل, مُدَّة
- فَاصِل (fāṣil)distance in space
- مُدَّة (mudda)period of time
- فَتْرَة (fatra)period of time
- مَسَافَة (masāfa)music: distance in pitch of notes
Basque tarte
- tarteperiod of time
Bengali মুদ্দত
- মুদ্দত (muddot)period of time
Bulgarian разстоя́ние, промежду́тък
- разстоя́ние (razstojánie)distance in space
- промежду́тък (promeždútăk)distance in space
- интерва́л (intervál)distance in space
- интерва́л (intervál)period of time
- интерва́л (intervál)music: distance in pitch of notes
- отсе́чка (otséčka)section of the real line
Catalan interval
- intervaldistance in space
Chinese Mandarin 間隔 /间隔, 間隙 /间隙
- 間隔 /间隔 (jiàngé)distance in space
- 間隙 /间隙 (jiànxì)distance in space
- 間隔 /间隔 (jiàngé)period of time
- 間隙 /间隙 (jiànxì)period of time
- 音程 (yīnchéng)music: distance in pitch of notes
- 區間 /区间 (qūjiān)section of the real line
Czech interval, interval
- intervaldistance in space
- intervalperiod of time
- intervalsection of the real line
Dutch interval, interval
- intervaldistance in space
- intervalperiod of time
- intervalmusic: distance in pitch of notes
Esperanto intertempo
- intertempoperiod of time
Estonian vahemik, vahemik
- vahemikdistance in space
- vahemikperiod of time
Finnish välimatka, aika
- välimatkadistance in space
- aikaperiod of time
- aikaväliperiod of time
- intervallimusic: distance in pitch of notes
- välisection of the real line
- erätaukocricket: break between sessions
French intervalle, intervalle
- intervalledistance in space
- intervalleperiod of time
- intervallesection of the real line
German Abstand, Zwischenraum
- Abstanddistance in space
- Zwischenraumdistance in space
- Intervallperiod of time
- Intervallmusic: distance in pitch of notes
Greek απόσταση, διάστημα
- απόσταση (apóstasi)distance in space
- διάστημα (diástima)period of time
- περίοδος (períodos)period of time
- διάλειμμα (diáleimma)period of time
Hawaiian lele
- lelemusic: distance in pitch of notes
Hindi अंतराल, अंतराल
- अंतराल (antrāl)distance in space
- अंतराल (antrāl)period of time
Hungarian köz, térköz
- közdistance in space
- térközdistance in space
- távolságdistance in space
- távdistance in space
- időközperiod of time
- intervallumperiod of time
- hangközmusic: distance in pitch of notes
Indonesian lat, selang
- latdistance in space
- selangdistance in space
Irish eadar-àm
- eadar-àmperiod of time
Italian intervallo, intervallo
- intervallodistance in space
- intervalloperiod of time
- intervallomusic: distance in pitch of notes
- intervallosection of the real line
Japanese 間隔, 間隔
- 間隔 (kankaku)distance in space
- 間隔 (kankaku)period of time
- 音程 (ontei)music: distance in pitch of notes
- 区間 (kukan)section of the real line
Korean 간격, 간격
- 간격 (gan'gyeok)distance in space
- 간격 (gan'gyeok)period of time
- 음정 (eumjeong)music: distance in pitch of notes
- 구간 (gugan)section of the real line
Latin intervallum, intervallum
- intervallumdistance in space
- intervallumperiod of time
Lithuanian tarpas
- tarpasdistance in space
Malay jeda, jeda
- jedadistance in space
- jedaperiod of time
Māori mokowā, mokorawhā
- mokowādistance in space
- mokorawhādistance in space
- āpurudistance in space
- houangaperiod of time
- whakamatuatangaperiod of time
- āputamusic: distance in pitch of notes
Norwegian Bokmål intervall, mellomrom
- intervalldistance in space
- mellomromperiod of time
- intervallperiod of time
- intervallmusic: distance in pitch of notes
Persian بازه
- بازه (bâze)distance in space
Polish interwał, odstęp
- interwałdistance in space
- odstępdistance in space
- interwałperiod of time
- interwałmusic: distance in pitch of notes
- przedziałsection of the real line
Portuguese intervalo, intervalo
- intervalodistance in space
- intervaloperiod of time
- intervalosection of the real line
Romanian interval, distanță
- intervaldistance in space
- distanțădistance in space
- intervalperiod of time
- intervalmusic: distance in pitch of notes
Russian интерва́л, промежу́ток
- интерва́л (intɛrvál)distance in space
- промежу́ток (promežútok)distance in space
- расстоя́ние (rasstojánije)distance in space
- интерва́л (intɛrvál)period of time
- промежу́ток (promežútok)period of time
- интерва́л (intɛrvál)music: distance in pitch of notes
Scottish Gaelic eadar-thamall, eadar-thamall
- eadar-thamalldistance in space
- eadar-thamallperiod of time
Spanish intervalo, intervalo
- intervalodistance in space
- intervaloperiod of time
- intervalosection of the real line
Swedish intervall, tidsintervall
- intervallperiod of time
- tidsintervallperiod of time
- intervallmusic: distance in pitch of notes
- intervallsection of the real line
Tagalog patlang, patlang
- patlangdistance in space
- patlangmusic: distance in pitch of notes
Tamil இடைவெளி, இடைவெளி
- இடைவெளி (iṭaiveḷi)distance in space
- இடைவெளி (iṭaiveḷi)period of time
- இடைவெளி (iṭaiveḷi)section of the real line
- இடைவெளி (iṭaiveḷi)cricket: break between sessions
Thai ช่วง, ระยะ
- ช่วง (chûuang)distance in space
- ระยะ (rá-yá)distance in space
- ตอน (dtɔɔn)period of time
Turkish ara, aralık
- aradistance in space
- aralıkperiod of time
Ukrainian інтерва́л, промі́жок
- інтерва́л (intervál)distance in space
- промі́жок (promížok)distance in space
- інтерва́л (intervál)period of time
- промі́жок (promížok)period of time
- інтерва́л (intervál)music: distance in pitch of notes
Vietnamese khoảng thời gian
- khoảng thời gianperiod of time
Cite this entry
APA
interval. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interval
MLA
“interval.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interval. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “interval,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/interval.
Source: interval on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.