interstellar

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌɪntəˈstelə(r)/ (UK); /ˌɪnt̬ɚˈstelɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English inter- + stellar,^[2][3] or directly from inter- and Latin stella (“star”).^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Situated between the stars (1626).^[6][7][2]

Semantic evolution

It first referred to the night sky between the stars,^[4] as in Bacon's line quoted by Johnson (1755), “The interstellar sky hath so much affinity with the star...”.^[8] The modern astronomical sense, of the space between the stars, dates from the 1670s according to Etymonline.^[4] Merriam-Webster's definition ties it especially to the stars of the Milky Way.^[7] A word with the same meaning, intersiderial, is recorded from the 1650s.^[4]

Timeline

• 1626 – first record.^[6][7][2]
• 1650s – intersiderial in the same sense.^[4]
• 1670s – the astronomical sense.^[4]
• 1755 – Johnson defines it as “intervening between the stars”.^[8]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Situated or occurring between or among the stars.
2. Travelling or passing from one star to another.

Related words

• stellar
• star
• constellation
• interplanetary

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ The Chambers Dictionary (2008), 11th ed., Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap
6. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.