in|ter|face

in|ter|face «IHN tuhr _FAYS», noun, verb, -faced, -fac|ing.

–n.

1. a surface lying between two bodies or spaces, and forming their common boundary.

2. a connection of two or more things brought together in an association, partnership, meeting, or other relationship: »

“Interface” refers to anything that mediates between disparate items: machinery, people, thought. The equipment that makes the computer work visible to the user is often called an “interface,” and the word is used highly metaphorically, as in “the interface between man and the computer, between the scientist and society” (Atlantic). Responsibilities include master scheduling, customer interface (New York Times).

–v.i., v.t.

to match, harmonize, or work together smoothly: »

This was to be a full-dress affair, including inflated space suits, which have to “interface”—a space-age verb meaning, roughly, to coordinate—with equipment in the cabin (New Yorker).