Both Uses of
interstate
in
Summer Pleasures, by Nora Roberts
- In less than an hour, he was out of L.A. traffic and heading northeast on the interstate.†
Chpt 2.3 *standard prefix: When a word begins with the prefix, "inter-", the prefix often means between. In this case, interstate means between different states. Interstate is often used as an abbreviation for interstate highway, a highway that runs between states. It has also come to mean freeway in a place like Hawaii where no major highway connects to another state.
- This is a dangerous conversation to have when I'm driving on an interstate at sixty miles an hour.†
Chpt 2.10
Definition:
freeway, or highway that runs between states
or:
relating to the mutual relations between states -- especially of the United States
or:
relating to the mutual relations between states -- especially of the United States
Note that interstate is often contrasted with intrastate. An intrastate highway is used to move from one location in a state to another, rather than to move between states. Similarly, interstate commerce is business between states; whereas intrastate commerce affects a state without affecting other states. Under the U.S. Constitution, the interstate/intrastate distinction is important when determining when the federal government has authority to override state government.