INTERPOLATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does interpolation mean? 

• INTERPOLATION (noun)
  The noun INTERPOLATION has 3 senses:

1. a message (spoken or written) that is introduced or inserted

2. (mathematics) calculation of the value of a function between the values already known

3. the action of interjecting or interposing an action or remark that interrupts

  Familiarity information: INTERPOLATION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INTERPOLATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A message (spoken or written) that is introduced or inserted

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

insertion; interpolation

Context example:

with many insertions in the margins

Hypernyms ("interpolation" is a kind of...):

content; message; subject matter; substance (what a communication that is about something is about)

Derivation:

interpolate (insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(mathematics) calculation of the value of a function between the values already known

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("interpolation" is a kind of...):

calculation; computation; figuring; reckoning (problem solving that involves numbers or quantities)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Derivation:

interpolate (estimate the value of)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The action of interjecting or interposing an action or remark that interrupts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

interjection; interpellation; interpolation; interposition

Hypernyms ("interpolation" is a kind of...):

break; disruption; gap; interruption (an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity)

Derivation:

interpolate (insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby)

 Context examples 

Interpolation: A method of imputation involving a missing value that is between known values and is estimated by a function of those known values.

(Interpolation Imputation Technique, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A shape distortion in the z-axis resulting from the weighting function used in the helical interpolation algorithm.

(Helical Interpolation Artifact, NCI Thesaurus)

The technique used, called sub-sampling by interpolation, only acts to remove the pixelisation and make a smoother image, and it is important to note that the comet's surface features won't be as smooth as the processing implies.

(Rosetta Comet May Be a Contact Binary, NASA)