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island definition

is·land (ī′lənd)

noun

  1. a land mass not as large as a continent, surrounded by water
  2. anything like an island in position or isolation; specif.,
    1. a structure above the flight deck of an aircraft carrier containing the bridge, radar, etc.
    2. a counter which stands alone as in the central area of a kitchen
    3. any of the elevated areas of a service station, having a bank of gasoline pumps a self-service island
    1. traffic island
    2. safety island
  4. Anat. a tissue or cluster of cells differing from surrounding tissue in formation, etc.

Etymology: < ME iland (respelled by assoc. with unrelated isle) < OE igland, iegland, lit., island land & ealand, lit., water land < ig, ieg, isle (akin to Ger aue, ON ey < PGmc *aujo, akin to *ahwo) & ea, water < PGmc *ahwo, water < IE *akwa > L aqua: see land

transitive verb

  1. to make into or like an island; isolate
  2. to intersperse with or as with islands a prairie islanded with wooded tracts

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical island definition - medical

island Synonyms

island

n.

  1. Land surrounded by water

    isle, islet, bar, key, cay, atoll, holm, isla (Spanish), île (French), jima (Japanese), archipelago; see also land 1, reef.

  2. An isolated spot

    haven, retreat, refuge, sanctuary; see refuge 1, shelter.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

island Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • inhabit: Maldives - Simon Rogerson Of the 199 inhabited islands in the archipelago, 14 were completely evacuated.

Adjective modifier

  • Caribbean: Who gets to buy their Caribbean island or two from the proceeds?

Modifies a noun

  • paradise: I blamed Luc and my island paradise for a brain mushing into jelly, but luckily I couldn't have been in better hands.

Noun used with modifier

  • desert: A desert island disk type of an album you'll want to cherish for the rest of your life.

Preposition: off

  • coast: Great Britain is a set of islands off the coast of France.

Preposition: in

  • archipelago: Each of them would soon literally be an island in an archipelago drained of time.

Preposition: of

  • islay: Islay Fine Foods Company How does a beef farmer from the small island of Islay get his produce into the Food Halls of Harrods?
island usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

island quotes

   I remember when our whole island was shaken with an earthquake some years ago, there was an impudent mountebank who sold pills which (as he told the country people) were very good against an earthquake.

-Addison,Joseph

Possibly the symbol for America is the Frontier† The corresponding symbol for England is the Island† The central symbol for Canada†is undoubtedly Survival, la Survivance.

-Atwood, Margaret Eleanor

Zuleika, on a desert island, would have spent most of her time in looking for a man's footprint.

-Beerbohm, Sir (Henry) Max(imilian)

island quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"island." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/island>

APA Style

island. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/island

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