intern

English

Alternative forms

• interne (archaic)

Etymology 1

From French interner, from interne (“inner, internal”), from Latin internus (“within, internal”), compare Etymology 2.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈtɝn/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈtɜːn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

intern (plural interns)

1. A person who is interned, forcibly or voluntarily.

Verb

intern (third-person singular simple present interns, present participle interning, simple past and past participle interned)

1. (transitive) To imprison somebody, usually without trial.

   The US government interned thousands of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

   • 1989 October 15, Vivien Raynor, “Interned Artists, Devoid of Grievance”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     That description was of a camp at the Tanforan Racetrack near San Francisco, one of several centers in California where Japanese and Japanese-American residents (Issei and Nisei) were held before being interned in areas remote from the West Coast.

   • 1989 December 10, Herbert Daniel, “An Open Letter To Fidel Castro”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 22, page 5:

     Cuba could take pride in its health system. It could, that is, if it weren't for the way it treats those who test positive [for HIV], whether sick or not, interning them in an isolation that has no medical justification, that is against all scientific direction and is a frontal assault on all human rights.

   1. (of a state, especially a neutral state) To confine or hold (foreign military personnel who stray into the state's territory) within prescribed limits during wartime.

      The Swiss government interned the Italian soldiers who had strayed onto Swiss territory.

2. (transitive, programming) To internalize.
   • 2004, Mark Schmidt, Simon Robinson, Microsoft Visual C# .NET 2003 Developer's Cookbook, page 81:

     Strings are automatically interned if they are assigned to a literal string within code.

Derived terms

• internable
• internee
• internment
• reintern
• skintern
• uninterned

Translations

to imprison (transitive)

Bulgarian: интерни́рам (bg) impf or pf (interníram) Dutch: interneren (nl) Finnish: internoida (fi) French: interner (fr) German: internieren (de) Irish: imtheorannaigh Italian: internare (it) Japanese: 抑留する (ja) (よくりゅうする, yokuryū suru), 拘留する (ja) (こうりゅうする, kōryū suru) Macedonian: интерни́ра impf or pf (interníra), за́твора (zátvora) Polish: internować (pl) impf Russian: интерни́ровать (ru) impf or pf (intɛrnírovatʹ) Swedish: internera (sv)

Adjective

intern (comparative more intern, superlative most intern)

1. (archaic) Internal.
   • 1640, I. H. [i.e., James Howell], ΔΕΝΔΡΟΛΟΓΊΑ [DENDROLOGIA]. Dodona’s Grove, or, The Vocall Forrest, London: […] T[homas] B[adger] for H. Mosley [i.e., Humphrey Moseley] […], →OCLC:

     Man was made after Gods image, which must be understood of the intern graces of the Soule

Etymology 2

From French interne (“inner, internal”), from Latin internus (“within, internal”), from inter (“between”); compare Etymology 1.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɪntɝn/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɪntɜːn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

intern (plural interns)

1. A student or recent graduate who works in order to gain experience in their chosen field.
   • 1994 November 6, William Goss, “Interning For Pleasure And Profit”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     Students know that working as an intern can provide contacts and all-important experience in their chosen fields. And last year, 26 percent of graduates hired by companies had worked as interns, compared with 9 percent the year before.

2. A medical student or recent graduate working in a hospital as a final part of medical training.

Coordinate terms

• resident
• trainee

Derived terms

• internship
• skintern

Translations

student or recent graduate who works in order to gain experience in their chosen field

Arabic: مُتَدَرِّب m (mutadarrib) Armenian: պրակտիկանտ (hy) (praktikant), փորձնակ (hy) (pʻorjnak), ինթերն (intʻern) Catalan: becari (ca) m, becària (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 實習生 / 实习生 (zh) (shíxíshēng) Czech: stážista m Danish: praktikant (da) c Dutch: stagiair (nl) m Esperanto: staĝanto Finnish: työharjoittelija, harjoittelija (fi) French: stagiaire (fr) German: Praktikant (de) m, Praktikantin (de) f Hungarian: gyakornok (hu) Italian: stagista (it) Japanese: 実習生 (じっしゅうせい, jisshūsei), インターン (intān) Kazakh: тағылымгер (tağylymger) Korean: 인턴 (ko) (inteon), 실습생(實習生) (ko) (silseupsaeng) Macedonian: стажа́нт m (stažánt), стажа́нтка f (stažántka), практика́нт m (praktikánt), практика́нтка f (praktikántka), при́правник m (prípravnik), припра́вничка f (priprávnička) Norwegian: praktikant m Persian: کارآموز (fa) (kâr-âmuz), انترن (fa) (antern), کارورز (fa) (kâr-varz) (rare) Polish: stażysta (pl) m, stażystka f Portuguese: estagiário (pt) m, estagiária f Russian: стажёр (ru) m (stažór), стажёрка (ru) f (stažórka), практика́нт (ru) m (praktikánt), практика́нтка (ru) f (praktikántka), инте́рн (ru) m (intɛ́rn) Spanish: pasante (es) m or f, practicante (es) m or f, persona en prácticas f, interno (es) m, becario (es) m Swedish: praktikant (sv) c Thai: ผู้ฝึกงาน (pûu-fʉ̀k-ngaan) Turkish: stajyer (tr) Yiddish: פּראַקטיקאַנט m (praktikant), פּראַקטיקאַנטקע f (praktikantke)

medical trainee working in a hospital

Catalan: intern (ca) m, interna (ca) f Dutch: (please verify) intern (nl) m, (please verify) co-assistent m or f Finnish: amanuenssi (fi), hoitoharjoittelija, lääkäriharjoittelija French: interne (des hôpitaux) m Japanese: インターン (intān) Persian: انترن (fa) (antern) Portuguese: interno (pt) m Turkish: intörn

Verb

intern (third-person singular simple present interns, present participle interning, simple past and past participle interned)

1. (intransitive) To work as an intern, usually with little or no pay or other legal prerogatives of employment, and for the purpose of furthering a program of education.

   I'll be interning at Universal Studios this summer.

Translations

to work as an intern

Danish: være i praktik, komme i praktik Finnish: työharjoitella, harjoitella (fi) Japanese: インターンとして働く (intān to shite hataraku) Portuguese: estagiar (pt) Russian: проходи́ть пра́ктику/стажиро́вку impf (proxodítʹ práktiku/stažiróvku), пройти́ пра́ктику/стажиро́вку pf (projtí práktiku/stažiróvku) Spanish: pasante (es) m

Anagrams

• netrin, tinner

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin internus.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Adjective

intern (feminine interna, masculine plural interns, feminine plural internes)

1. internal

   Antonym: extern

Derived terms

• internament
• internar

Noun

intern m (plural interns, feminine interna, feminine plural internes)

1. (medicine) intern
2. (education) boarder

Further reading

• “intern”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “intern”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “intern” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “intern” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Chinese

Etymology

From English intern or English internship.

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): in¹ toen²

---

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: in¹ toen²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iːn⁵⁵ tʰœːn³⁵/

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some! Particularly: “Mandarin”

Noun

intern (Hong Kong Cantonese, American (1980–))

1. intern (Classifier: 個／个 c)

   不論是NG還是intern，都是非常缺乏面試經驗的 [MSC, trad.]
   不论是NG还是intern，都是非常缺乏面试经验的 [MSC, simp.]

   bùlùn shì NG háishì intern, dōu shì fēicháng quēfá miànshì jīngyàn de [Pinyin]

   Regardless if they are new graduates or intern, they all lack interview experience.

2. internship (Classifier: 份 c)

   三年工作經驗找不到intern [MSC, trad.]
   三年工作经验找不到intern [MSC, simp.]

   sān nián gōngzuò jīngyàn zhǎo bù dào intern [Pinyin]

   Can't find an internship with three-year working experience.

Synonyms

• (intern): 煙腸／烟肠

Danish

Adjective

intern (neuter internt, plural and definite singular attributive interne)

1. internal

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French interne (“inner, internal”), or directly from Latin internus (“within, internal”), from inter (“between”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈtɛrn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛrn

Adjective

intern (comparative interner, superlative internst)

1. internal, inside of something, of the body etc.

   Synonym: inwendig

   Antonyms: extern, uitwendig

Declension

Declension of intern
uninflected	intern
inflected	interne
comparative	interner
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		intern	interner	het internst het internste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	interne	internere	internste
	n. sing.	intern	interner	internste
	plural	interne	internere	internste
definite		interne	internere	internste
partitive		interns	interners	—

Related terms

• internaat
• interneren
• internist

German

Etymology

From Latin internus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈtɛʁn/

• Audio (Germany):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛʁn
• Hyphenation: in‧tern

Adjective

intern (strong nominative masculine singular interner, not comparable)

1. internal

Declension

Positive forms of intern (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist intern	sie ist intern	es ist intern	sie sind intern
strong declension (without article)	nominative	interner	interne	internes	interne
	genitive	internen	interner	internen	interner
	dative	internem	interner	internem	internen
	accusative	internen	interne	internes	interne
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der interne	die interne	das interne	die internen
	genitive	des internen	der internen	des internen	der internen
	dative	dem internen	der internen	dem internen	den internen
	accusative	den internen	die interne	das interne	die internen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein interner	eine interne	ein internes	(keine) internen
	genitive	eines internen	einer internen	eines internen	(keiner) internen
	dative	einem internen	einer internen	einem internen	(keinen) internen
	accusative	einen internen	eine interne	ein internes	(keine) internen

Antonyms

• extern

Derived terms

• firmenintern
• internalisieren
• internieren
• Internist
• polizeiintern
• schaltungsintern

Related terms

• Internum
• Internat

Further reading

• “intern” in Duden online
• “intern” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch intern, from French interne (“inner, internal”), from Latin internus (“within, internal”), from inter (“between”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɪntɛr(ə)n]
• Hyphenation: in‧tèrn

Adjective

intern (comparative lebih intern, superlative paling intern)

1. internal

   Synonym: internal

Alternative forms

• interen

Related terms

• interna
• internal
• internalisasi
• internat

Further reading

• “intern” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin internus.

Adjective

intern (neuter singular internt, definite singular and plural interne)

1. internal

Antonyms

• ekstern

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin internus.

Adjective

intern (neuter singular internt, definite singular and plural interne)

1. internal

Antonyms

• ekstern

Romanian

Etymology

French interne, Latin internus

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [inˈtern]

Adjective

intern m or n (feminine singular internă, masculine plural interni, feminine and neuter plural interne)

1. internal

   Antonym: extern

Declension

Declension of intern

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	intern		internă		interni	interne
	definite	internul		interna		internii	internele
genitive- dative	indefinite	intern		interne		interni	interne
	definite	internului		internei		internilor	internelor

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin internus.

Adjective

intern (not comparable)

1. internal, something of no relevance for outsiders

Declension

Inflection of intern

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	intern	—	—
neuter singular	internt	—	—
plural	interna	—	—
masculine plural2	interne	—	—
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	interne	—	—
all	interna	—	—

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Antonyms

• extern

Noun

intern c

1. a prisoner, an inmate

Declension

Declension of intern

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	intern	interns
	definite	internen	internens
plural	indefinite	interner	interners
	definite	internerna	internernas

Synonyms

• fånge
• fängelsekund
• intagen

Related terms

• internera