in·ter·sperse
ˌin-tər-ˈspərs
interspersed; interspersing
1
: to insert at intervals among other things
interspersing drawings throughout the text
2
: to place something at intervals in or among
intersperse a book with pictures
in·ter·spersion
ˌintərˈspər|zhən
təˈspə̄|,
-pəi| British usually & US sometimes shən
plural -s
: the act or fact of interspersing or state of being interspersed: such as
a
: the intermingling of kinds of organisms (as species) within an ecological community
b
: the state or degree of intermingling of one kind of organism with others
certain forbs show a high level of interspersion in grasslands
Did you know?
Intersperse comes from Latin interspersus, a combination of the prefix inter- ("between or among") and sparsus, the past participle of spargere, meaning "to scatter." Sparsus is also the source of sparse.
Cite this Entry
“Intersperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intersperse. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.
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