Origin: Latin suffix -al
Interval has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
a definite length of time marked off by two instants
"The concert had a fifteen-minute interval between the first and second acts."
a set containing all points (or all real numbers) between two given endpoints
"The mathematical interval includes every real number lying strictly between 3 and 7, excluding the endpoints themselves."
the difference in pitch between two notes
"The composer adjusted the interval so that the major third sounded bright and happy to the audience."
A distance in space.
"The interval between the two trees was wide enough for us to walk through comfortably."
In plain English: An interval is the amount of time between two events.
"The concert started after a fifteen-minute interval between acts."
Usage: Use interval to describe the measurable gap between two points in time or space, such as the pause between musical notes or the distance between train stops. Avoid using it for general breaks unless specifically referring to the duration separating scheduled events.
The word "interval" comes from the Old French intervalle, which was borrowed from Latin. Originally, it described the physical gap between two defensive walls or palisades before coming to mean any space separating things in time or distance.