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REFERENCE

interval

n.
US //ˈɪntɝvəɫ// UK //ˈɪntəvəl// in·ter·val
  1. 1 time between events (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a period of time between two events or activities.

    a temporal gap or duration separating two distinct events or states.

    Example

    There was a short interval of peace before the noisy construction work started again.

    Example

    The study observed the patients at regular intervals over a five-year period to track the long-term effects of the medication.
  2. 2 theatre/concert break (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Theatre

    a short break between the parts of a performance, like a play or a concert.

    a scheduled intermission between the acts of a theatrical performance or the sections of a concert.

    Example

    We went to get some water during the interval of the play.

    Example

    During the fifteen-minute interval, the audience crowded into the foyer while the stagehands quickly rearranged the scenery for the second act.
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  1. 3 distance in space (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the physical distance or gap between two objects.

    the spatial distance or amount of separation between two points or objects.

    Example

    The trees were planted at ten-meter intervals along the road.

    Example

    The security lights were placed at precise intervals along the perimeter fence to ensure there were no dark spots.
  2. 4 musical pitch (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Music

    the difference in highness or lowness between two musical notes.

    the difference in frequency or pitch between two musical tones.

    Example

    The singer practiced jumping between a wide interval of notes.

    Example

    The composer used dissonant intervals to create a sense of tension and unease throughout the opening movement of the symphony.
  3. 5 mathematical range (n.)
    C1 Advanced Academic Technical Math

    all the numbers between two specific points.

    a set of real numbers that includes all numbers between any two numbers in the set.

    Example

    The function is only valid for the interval between zero and one.

    Example

    The algorithm calculates the probability of an event occurring within a specific confidence interval based on the provided data set.
  4. 6 sports break (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Sport

    a break in a game, such as half-time in football or lunch in cricket.

    a scheduled break between periods of play in a sporting match.

    Example

    The players headed to the locker room for the half-time interval.

    Example

    Rain stopped play just before the tea interval, leaving the batsmen frustrated as they waited for the clouds to clear.
Origin

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”).

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