enisle
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make an island of.
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to place on an island.
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to isolate.
verb
Etymology
Origin of enisle
Explanation
To enisle something is to place it on an island or to isolate it as though it were on an island. A peninsula that has been cut off from the mainland by flooding has been enisled, even if only temporarily. The word enisle can refer to literally and physically turning a piece of land into an island by surrounding it with water on all sides. It might also refer to putting someone or something on an island. Historically, Napoleon Bonaparte was enisled twice — physically exiled to a remote island to prevent further conflict. The term is also used figuratively to describe isolating or separating a person, group, or region, as though on an island. Famous people sometimes enisle themselves to maintain privacy and escape public scrutiny.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
