What does interlineation mean?
An interlineation is a short explanatory note or insertion placed between the lines of a text, usually to clarify a word, phrase, or translation. In manuscript studies it may refer to material added by a reader, translator, or editor, often in smaller writing or above the line it comments on. The term is formal and uncommon in everyday speech, but it is useful when discussing textual transmission, glosses, and editorial intervention. An interlineation is more specific than an interpolation: it is located between lines, whereas an interpolation may be inserted anywhere within a text or sequence. Although interlineations can add useful clarification, excessive additions may also make a text visually crowded and can complicate the historical record of how it was read.
nounAn explanatory or additional phrase inserted between the lines of a text, especially in a printed or manuscript copy. The word can also refer to the act or practice of making such an insertion.
- A word, phrase, or comment written between the lines of a text.
- The practice or act of inserting such material between lines.
"The editor added an interlineation to clarify the unfamiliar Latin phrase."
"The translator's interlineation explains a term that might otherwise puzzle the reader."
"Several interlineations in the medieval manuscript appear to have been added by a later reader."
Plural forms are used when referring to multiple inserted notes or to the practice of making such insertions.
"The editor rejected several interlineations that obscured the author's original wording."
Interlineation is the scholarly art of speaking between the lines: adding a note without replacing the original wording.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of interlineation
Interlineation derives from Latin interlineare, meaning “to write between the lines,” formed from inter- “between” and lineare “to mark with lines.” English borrowed the noun through Latin and French usage, with the sense of an insertion made between written lines. Its close relatives, including interlinear and interlineate, preserve the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How interlineation is actually used
This is a formal and relatively uncommon term, most often encountered in discussions of manuscripts, editing, translation, and textual scholarship.
Easily confused with interlineation
An interlineation is inserted specifically between lines of text, whereas an interpolation is any material inserted within a text, passage, or sequence.