Noun

(en noun)

A distance in space.

* Milton

'Twixt host and host but narrow space was left, / A dreadful interval .

A period of time.

the interval between contractions during childbirth

(music) The difference (a ratio or logarithmic measure) in pitch between two notes, often referring to those two pitches themselves (otherwise known as a dyad).

(mathematics) A connected section of the real line which may be empty or have a length of zero.

(chiefly, British) An intermission.

(sports) half time, a scheduled intermission between the periods of play

* {{quote-news

, year=2011 , date=November 12 , author= , title=International friendly: England 1-0 Spain , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Spain made three substitutions at the interval , sending on former Arsenal captain Fabregas, Chelsea's Juan Mata and Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina for Xavi, David Silva and Casillas.}}

(cricket) Either of the two breaks, at lunch and tea, between the three sessions of a day's play

Noun

(en noun)

A particular period of history, especially one considered remarkable or noteworthy.

*{{quote-magazine, date=2012-01

, author=Donald Worster , title=A Drier and Hotter Future , volume=100, issue=1, page=70 , magazine= citation , passage=Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.}}

A notable event which marks the beginning of such a period.

(astronomy) A precise instant of time that is used as a reference point.

(computing, uncountable) A precise instant of time that is used as a reference point (e.g. January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC).