interim (English)
Where does "interim" come from?
The word 'interim' traces its origins back to Latin, where it functioned as an adverb meaning 'meanwhile' or 'in the meantime.' It was formed by combining the preposition 'inter,' meaning 'between,' with an archaic form of the pronoun meaning 'that.' Today, it has entered English to describe something temporary or transitional, maintaining its original sense of existing within a specific period of time.
Full etymology tree
- interim (English), 'Transitional.'
- inherited interim (Latin), 'meanwhile, in the meantime, in the interim'
- compound inter (Latin), 'between, among'
- inherited *ənter (Proto-Italic), 'between'
- inherited *h₁entér (Proto-Indo-European), 'between'
- inherited *ənter (Proto-Italic), 'between'
- compound im (Latin), 'alternative form of eum'
- inherited *ím (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *ís (Proto-Indo-European), 'this, he (used as the 3rd person pronoun)'
- derived is (Latin), 'this or that man, woman or thing; he, she, it, they (previously introduced)'
- inherited *is (Proto-Italic), 'he, she, it'
- inherited *ís (Proto-Indo-European), 'this, he (used as the 3rd person pronoun)'
- inherited *is (Proto-Italic), 'he, she, it'
- inherited *ím (Proto-Indo-European)
- compound inter (Latin), 'between, among'
- inherited interim (Latin), 'meanwhile, in the meantime, in the interim'
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris