interpolate
|in-ter-po-late|
🇺🇸
/ɪnˈtɝpəleɪt/
🇬🇧
/ɪnˈtɜːpəleɪt/
insert between
Etymology
'interpolate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'interpolare', where 'inter-' meant 'between' and 'polare' (from 'polire') meant 'to polish' or 'to make smooth' (used in Late Latin with senses of altering or amending).
'interpolate' changed from Latin 'interpolare' (and its past participle 'interpolatus') into Late Latin and then entered English in the mid-17th century as 'interpolate' with senses including 'to alter by inserting'.
Initially it meant 'to alter or amend (often by adding or smoothing over)', and over time it evolved into the modern senses 'to insert (material) between parts' and the technical sense 'to estimate or supply intermediate values'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an insertion of material (such as words or remarks) between other elements; an interposed comment or addition.
His speech contained several interpolations that lightened the mood.
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Noun 2
the process or result of estimating intermediate values between known data points (mathematical/technical sense).
Polynomial interpolation is a common technique for curve fitting.
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Verb 1
to insert something (words, remarks, data, etc.) between other parts, especially by adding material into a text or conversation.
She interpolated a brief comment into the lecture to clarify a point.
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Verb 2
in mathematics, statistics, or computing: to estimate or compute an intermediate value between two known values; to supply missing values by using adjacent data.
The software interpolates missing pixels based on surrounding color data.
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Verb 3
to falsify or alter a text or record by inserting additional material, often to change the meaning or impression.
Scholars warned that several passages in the manuscript had been interpolated by later copyists.
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Last updated: 2025/09/04 08:42