interface

See also: interfacé

English

Etymology

From inter- (“between”) +‎ face (“shape, figure, form”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɪntəfeɪs/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɪn(t)ɚˌfeɪs/
• Hyphenation: inter‧face
• Rhymes: -eɪs

Noun

interface (plural interfaces)

1. The point of interconnection or contact between entities.

   Public relations firms often serve as the interface between a company and the press.

2. (chemistry, physics) A thin layer or boundary between different substances or two phases of a single substance.

   If water and oil are mixed together, they tend to separate, and at equilibrium they are in different strata with an oil-water interface in between.

   The surface of a lake is a water-air interface.

3. (computing) The point of interconnection between systems or subsystems.

   The data is sent over the air interface to the remote system.

4. (computing) The connection between a user and a machine.

   The options are selected via the user interface.

5. (object-oriented programming) The connection between parts of software; also the public or published sections of an object or module,

   This interface is implemented by several Java classes.

   Traits are somewhat between an interface and a mixin, as an interface contains only method signatures, while a trait includes also the full method definitions; on the other side mixins include method definitions, but they can also carry state through attributes, while traits usually don't.

6. (object-oriented programming) In object-oriented programming, a piece of code defining a set of operations that other code must implement.

   The Audio and Video classes both implement the IPlayable interface.

7. (object-oriented programming) In some languages, a block of code declaring the interface (point of interconnection) between a class and code that interacts with it.
8. (biochemistry) The internal surface of a coiled protein (compare exoface).

Hyponyms

(computing) connection between a user and a machine

• command-line interface
• user interface

 

(computing, OOP) connection between parts of software

• abstract interface
• application programming interface
• generic interface
• marker interface
• network interface
• programming interface

 

Derived terms

note, some terms may be hyponyms too - this Wiktionarian was too sloppy to sort them. Sucks, don't it?

• 10-foot user interface
• basic rate interface
• character user interface
• command line interface
• concrete interface
• fluent interface
• Gillham interface
• graphical user interface
• haptic interface
• human interface device
• interface hypothesis
• interface segregation principle
• marker interface pattern
• natural user interface
• network interface card
• network interface controller
• non-virtual interface
• non-virtual interface pattern
• primary rate interface
• tagging interface

 

Descendants

• → Armenian: միջերես (miǰeres) (calque)
• → Japanese: インターフェース (intāfēsu)
• → Korean: 인터페이스 (inteopeiseu)
• → Russian: интерфе́йс (interféjs)
  • → Kazakh: интерфейс (interfeis)
• → Turkish: ayarüz (calque)

Translations

point of interconnection between entities

• Arabic: تَعْشِيق m (taʕšīq), وَاجِهَة f (wājiha)
• Belarusian: інтэрфе́йс m (interfjéjs), інтэрфэ́йс m (interféjs)
• Bulgarian: и́нтерфейс m (ínterfejs)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 接口 (zh) (jiēkǒu)

• Cornish: ynterfas m
• Czech: rozhraní (cs) n, styčná plocha f
• Dutch: koppeling (nl) f, aansluiting (nl) f, raakpunt (nl) n
• Esperanto: interfaco
• Finnish: liittymäkohta, rajapinta (fi), yhtymäkohta (fi)
• French: interface (fr) f
• German: Schnittstelle (de) f
• Greek: διεπαφή (el) f (diepafí), διεπιφάνεια (el) f (diepifáneia)
• Hindi: राब्ता m (rābtā), वास्ता (hi) m (vāstā)
• Hungarian: határfelület (hu), illesztőegység
• Italian: (2,3) ^{(please verify)} interfacciamento m, (all) ^{(please verify)} interfaccia (it) f
• Japanese: インターフェース (ja) (intāfēsu)
• Korean: 인터페이스 (inteopeiseu)
• Macedonian: посредник m (posrednik)
• Malay: antara muka
• Maori: arotuki
• Norman: întèrfache f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: grensesnitt n

  Nynorsk: grensesnitt n

• Persian: رابط (fa) (râbet), واسط (fa) (vâset)
• Polish: styk (pl) m
• Portuguese: interface (pt) f
• Romanian: interfață (ro)
• Russian: интерфе́йс (ru) m (intɛrféjs)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: interfejs (sh) m, sučelje (sh) n

• Sindhi: باهمرُو (sd)
• Spanish: interfaz (es) f
• Swedish: gränssnitt (sv) n, beröringspunkt c
• Turkish: arayüz (tr)
• Ukrainian: інтерфе́йс (uk) m (interféjs)
• Welsh: rhyngwyneb f

chemistry, physics: thin layer or boundary between different substances, or phases of a single substance

• Bulgarian: фа́зова гра́ница f (fázova gránica)
• Danish: grænseflade c
• Esperanto: limfaco
• Finnish: rajapinta (fi)
• French: interface (fr) f
• German: Grenzfläche f
• Greek: διεπιφάνεια (el) f (diepifáneia)
• Hungarian: fázishatár sg, határfelület (hu) sg
• Indonesian: antarmuka (id)
• Italian: interfaccia (it) f
• Malay: antara muka
• Maori: matawehe
• Polish: granica międzyfazowa f
• Romanian: suprafață de separare
• Sindhi: باهَمرُو (sd) (bāhamrū)
• Spanish: interfase (es) f

computing: point of interconnection between systems or subsystems

• Afrikaans: koppelvlak (af)
• Arabic: واجِهَة (wājiha)
• Armenian: միջերես (miǰeres), ինտերֆեյս (interfeys)
• Azerbaijani: interfeys
• Basque: interfaze
• Belarusian: інтэрфе́йс m (interfjéjs), інтэрфэ́йс m (interféjs)
• Bulgarian: и́нтерфейс m (ínterfejs)
• Catalan: interfície f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 接口 (zh) (jiēkǒu)

• Czech: rozhraní (cs) n
• Danish: grænseflade c
• Dutch: interface (nl) m
• Estonian: liidestus
• Finnish: rajapinta (fi), yhteys (fi)
• French: interface (fr) f
• Georgian: ინტერფეისი (inṭerpeisi)
• German: Schnittstelle (de) f
• Greek: διεπαφή (el) f (diepafí)
• Hebrew: מִמְשָׁק (he) m (mimshák)
• Hindi: इंटरफ़ेस m (iṇṭarfes)
• Hungarian: interfész (hu)
• Indonesian: antarmuka (id)
• Japanese: インターフェース (ja) (intāfēsu)
• Kazakh: интерфейс (interfeis)
• Korean: 인터페이스 (inteopeiseu)
• Kyrgyz: интерфейс (interfeys)
• Latin: interfacies f
• Latvian: interfeiss m
• Lithuanian: interfeisas (lt) m
• Macedonian: посредник m (posrednik)
• Malay: antara muka
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: grensesnitt n

  Nynorsk: grensesnitt n

• Persian: ربطال
• Polish: interfejs (pl) m
• Portuguese: interface (pt) f
• Romanian: interfață (ro)
• Russian: интерфе́йс (ru) m (intɛrféjs)
• Scottish Gaelic: eadar-aghaidh f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: interfejs (sh) m, međusklop m, međuveza f

• Sindhi: باهَمرُو (sd) (bāhamrū)
• Slovak: rozhranie n
• Slovene: vmesnik m
• Spanish: interfaz (es) f
• Swedish: gränssnitt (sv) n
• Turkish: arayüz (tr)
• Ukrainian: інтерфе́йс (uk) m (interféjs)
• Urdu: انٹرفیس m (inṭarfes)
• Uzbek: interfeys

computing: connection between a user and a machine

• Armenian: միջերես (miǰeres), ինտերֆեյս (interfeys)
• Azerbaijani: interfeys
• Basque: interfaze
• Belarusian: інтэрфе́йс m (interfjéjs), інтэрфэ́йс m (interféjs)
• Bulgarian: и́нтерфейс m (ínterfejs)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 界面 (zh) (jièmiàn)

• Czech: rozhraní (cs) n
• Danish: brugergrænseflade c
• Dutch: interface (nl) m
• Finnish: käyttöliittymä (fi), käyttäjäliittymä
• French: interface (fr) f
• Georgian: ინტერფეისი (inṭerpeisi)
• German: Schnittstelle (de) f
• Greek: διεπαφή (el) f (diepafí)
• Hebrew: מִמְשָׁק (he) m (mimshák)
• Hindi: इंटरफ़ेस m (iṇṭarfes)
• Hungarian: felület (hu), felhasználói felület (hu)
• Indonesian: antarmuka (id)
• Japanese: インターフェース (ja) (intāfēsu)
• Kazakh: интерфейс (interfeis)
• Korean: 인터페이스 (inteopeiseu)
• Kyrgyz: интерфейс (interfeys)
• Latin: interfacies f
• Latvian: saskarne f
• Macedonian: посредник m (posrednik), интерфејс m (interfejs)
• Malay: antara muka
• Malayalam: സമ്പർക്കമുഖം (sampaṟkkamukhaṁ)
• Persian: ربطال
• Polish: powłoka (pl), interfejs (pl) m, międzymordzie (pl) n (humorous)
• Portuguese: interface (pt) f
• Romanian: interfață (ro)
• Russian: интерфе́йс (ru) m (intɛrféjs)
• Scottish Gaelic: eadar-aghaidh f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ѝнтерфе̄јс m

  Roman: ìnterfējs (sh) m

• Sindhi: باهمرُو (sd) (bāhamrū)
• Slovak: rozhranie n
• Slovene: vmesnik m
• Spanish: interfaz (es) f
• Swedish: gränssnitt (sv) n
• Turkish: arayüz (tr)
• Ukrainian: інтерфе́йс (uk) m (interféjs)
• Uzbek: interfeys
• Vietnamese: giao diện (vi)

computing, object-oriented: connection between parts of software

• Basque: interfaze
• Bulgarian: и́нтерфейс m (ínterfejs)
• Finnish: rajapinta (fi)
• French: interface (fr) f
• German: Schnittstelle (de) f
• Hebrew: מִמְשָׁק (he) m (mimshák)
• Persian: ربطال
• Polish: interfejs (pl) m, międzymordzie (pl) n (humorously)
• Portuguese: interface (pt) f
• Scottish Gaelic: eadar-aghaidh f
• Spanish: interfaz (es) f
• Swedish: gränssnitt (sv) n
• Turkish: arayüz (tr)

computing, object-oriented: piece of code defining a set of operations that other code must implement

• Basque: interfaze
• Bulgarian: и́нтерфейс m (ínterfejs)
• Czech: rozhraní (cs) n
• Dutch: interface (nl) m
• Finnish: rajapinta (fi)
• French: interface (fr) f
• German: Schnittstelle (de) f
• Hebrew: מִמְשָׁק (he) m (mimshák)
• Macedonian: посредник m (posrednik)
• Persian: ربطال
• Polish: interfejs (pl) m, międzymordzie (pl) n (humorous)
• Portuguese: interface (pt) f
• Romanian: interfață (ro)
• Russian: интерфе́йс (ru) m (intɛrféjs)
• Scottish Gaelic: eadar-aghaidh f
• Spanish: interfaz (es) f
• Turkish: arayüz (tr)

References

• interface on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb

interface (third-person singular simple present interfaces, present participle interfacing, simple past and past participle interfaced)

1. (transitive) To construct an interface for.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To connect through an interface.
3. (intransitive) To serve as an interface.
4. (business, intransitive) To meet for discussion.

   Let's interface on Wednesday.

Translations

transitive: to construct an interface; connect through an interface

• Finnish: yhdistää rajapinnan kautta
• Greek: φέρω σε διεπαφή (féro se diepafí), διεφάπτω (diefápto)
• Italian: interfacciare (it)
• Macedonian: посредува (posreduva)
• Malay: mengantaramukakan
• Norman: întèrfachi

intransitive: to be an interface; be into an interface

• Finnish: toimia rajapintana
• Greek: έχω διεπαφή με (écho diepafí me), διεφάπτομαι με (diefáptomai me)
• Italian: interfacciarsi
• Macedonian: посредува (posreduva)

See also

• mixin
• trait

Anagrams

• re infecta

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.tɛʁ.fas/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

interface f (plural interfaces)

1. interface
2. (object-oriented programming) interface

Verb

interface

1. inflection of interfacer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “interface”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English interface.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌĩ.teɾˈfa.si/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌĩ.teɾˈfa.si/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌĩ.teɾˈfa.se/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˌĩ.tɛɾˈfa.sɨ/

• Hyphenation: in‧ter‧fa‧ce

Noun

interface f or m (plural interfaces)

1. interface (point of interconnection between entities)
2. (computing) interface (point of interconnection between systems or subsystems)
3. (computing) interface (connection between a user and a machine)
4. (object-oriented programming) interface (piece of code defining a set of operations that other code must implement)

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:interface.