third spaces

Noun

third space (countable and uncountable, plural third spaces)

1. A state or situation in which cultural distinctions do not apply, allowing one to transcend cultural assumptions.
   • Third space cannot be produced by the simple transmutation of an excess corporate profit into a charitable "gift": tainted money remains suspect unless it is transformed by a self-consious philanthropic effort.2000, Jon Van Til, Growing Civil Society: From Nonprofit Sector to Third Space, →ISBN
2. A place that is neither home nor work, providing a venue for social interaction in a way that those places do not provide.
   • For youth of Korea – where most still live at home before getting married – these third spaces operate as spaces to connect with other like-minded people.2008, Larissa Hjorth, Mobile Media in the Asia-Pacific, page 258

   Synonyms:

   third place

3. An extracellular and extravascular space where abnormal fluid buildup can occur when fluid balance goes wrong.
4. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see third, space.