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to interdigitate

to interdigitate

9.9
To fit together closely like the fingers of two hands
  • verb
  • /ˌɪntərˈdɪdʒɪteɪt/
translation icon : interdigitar
  • The fingers of his right hand interdigitate with those of his left as he demonstrates the technique.
  • interdigitated pattern

Examples

  • Two types of sensory cells, inner and outer hair cells, interdigitate with supporting cells along the organ's entire length.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The luminance and chrominance power spectra interdigitate perfectly and share the channel's frequency space with almost no noticeable effects on one another.

    Academic text (1999)
  • No bridges are required to achieve this interdigitated arrangement.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Instead, the evidence from topographic maps suggests that when interdigitated patterns of land and water appear, they come from building a canal network formed from two comblike structures.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I'm a web of filaments so fine you cannot see, a juggle of electrocurrents, an interdigitated field of biomolecules and interactive membranes.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • 1 for mono-crystalline silicon solar cells is based on the Interdigitated Back-Contacted Silicon Heterojunction (IBC-SHJ) concept.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Art and science are different enterprises, but the boundary between them is far more fluid and interdigitating, and the interactions are far richer and more varied than the usual stereotypes proclaim.

    Academic text (1995)
  • As in the abstract case, decreasing the width of the water channels through successive levels of water cuts engenders a corresponding decline in road width, appropriate to the distance from the highway, that produces with no extra effort the desired interdigitated pattern of road and water networks.

    Academic text (1990)
  • To create a pattern, the artist interdigitates colored strips of paper to form a beautiful mosaic.

  • The roots of the two trees interdigitate beneath the soil, making it difficult to separate them.

Synonyms

to intertwine
vsto interdigitate
46 5.4

Twist things together so they become joined or tangled

implies a precise, interlocking fit instead of loose twisting or tangling
to interlock
vsto interdigitate
15 4.1

To join parts so they fit tightly and move together

focuses more on alternating, fingerlike fitting rather than general locking
to dovetail
vsto interdigitate
11 6.7

To fit things together so they work well and match

stresses a physical, interlocking fit rather than general harmonious matching
to interlace
vsto interdigitate
6 5.1

To cross things like fingers or strings so they hold together

uses alternating fitting of parts rather than simple crossing or weaving
to interweave
vsto interdigitate
4 6.3

To mix different things closely together, like threads or melodies

relies on precise, alternating fitting rather than woven blending
to interdigitate perfectly
vsto interdigitate
9.1

Fit together with no gaps like the fingers of two hands

is the same meaning but stresses absolute, exact fitting
to intermesh
vsto interdigitate
7.0

To fit together like gears so parts touch and work together

emphasizes alternating, interleaving fit like opposed projections
to joggle
vsto interdigitate
  • Specialized
9.5

To join two pieces by making matching cuts so they fit tightly

describes a smoother, fingerlike mutual fitting rather than notched fastening
to interfold
vsto interdigitate
7.9

To fold together so layers lie inside each other

instead stresses alternating projections fitting closely rather than layered folding
to complect
vsto interdigitate
  • UK
9.9

To join parts together by weaving or tangling

is narrower, meaning a close alternating fit rather than general entanglement

Antonyms

161 3.5

To separate something so it is no longer joined, for example remove a cable or turn off power

Phrasal Verbs

Fit together with no gaps like the fingers of two hands

How Interlocked

to interdigitate
9.9
to interlock
15 4.1
to meet
229 1.0
to touch
1.0

Surface Forms

interdigitate infinitive
interdigitated past participle
interdigitating present participle
interdigitates third person singular

Morphology

interdigitate = digitate (semi-transparent) = inter + digitate

The structure inter- + digitate is regular, but 'digitate' is relatively rare and learners may need to know the less common verb 'digitate' or the root 'digit' to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Interdigitate comes from the parts inter- ('between') and digit- ('finger'), so it literally means 'to put fingers between'. That's why we use it for things that fit together closely, like clasped hands, plant roots, or the teeth of gears that lock together for a tight fit.