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intergalactic

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Etymology and origin of the English word intergalactic

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1928 Nature More words from the 20th century
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek γάλα
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Ancient Greek γάλα (gála)
Ancient Greek γαλακτικός (galaktikós)
English galactic
English intergalactic
From the same root
Ancient Greek γαλαξίας (galaxíās) ← γάλα

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌɪntəɡəˈlæktɪk/[1]
  • US: /ˌɪnt̬ɚɡəˈlæktɪk/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English inter- + galactic.[2][3][4][5] Galactic is from Late Latin galacticus, from galaxias,[3] and the OED traces it to Hellenistic Greek γαλακτικός (galaktikós, “milky”), from γάλα (gála, “milk”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Situated between galaxies, or relating to the regions between them: 1928, in the journal Nature,[2][3] the date Merriam-Webster also gives;[4] Dictionary.com dates it to 1925–30.[5]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that the word was already in use by 1901, when galaxies were thought to be a kind of nebula, and that the 1928 date marks its use for galaxies as now understood.[3] It is now used of the space, gas and matter between galaxies.[4][6]

Timeline

  • 1901 – in use, when galaxies were taken for nebulae.[3]
  • 1928 – between the galaxies, in the modern sense.[2][3][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Situated, occurring or existing in the space between galaxies: intergalactic gas.[6][4][2]

Word family

  • intergalactically

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Intergalactic.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/intergalactic. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·