Etymologically
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interstellar

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 14 October 2026 at 23:18. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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.
  • 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.