Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

insula

[in-suh-luh, ins-yuh-]
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural in·su·lae [in-suh-lee, ins-yuh-] /ˈɪn səˌli, ˈɪns yə-/. Anatomy.
  1. a group of convolutions situated at the base of the lateral fissure of the brain.

Origin of insula

1825–35; < New Latin, Latin: island; cf. isle
Also called Island of Reil.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for insula

Historical Examples

  • The private houses in Borne were of two kinds: the insula and the domus.

    Architecture

    Thomas Roger Smith

  • Another title for Michael, or Insula; see ante, p. 147, note 13.

  • Ogygia, name of Ireland, or of the Insula Hyperboreorum, 437.

  • Here, in short, is the record of an oblong 'insula' in the Roman town of Orange.

  • Domus, a house, meant a dwelling occupied by one family, whether it were an insula or not.

British Dictionary definitions for insula

insula

noun plural -lae (-ˌliː)
  1. a pyramid-shaped area of the brain within each cerebral hemisphere beneath parts of the frontal and temporal lobesAlso called: island of Reil

Word Origin

Latin, literally: island
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for insula

n.

Latin, literally "an island" (also, in ancient Rome, "a block of buildings"); see isle.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
insula in Medicine

insula

(ĭn′sə-lə, ĭns′yə-)
n. pl. -lae (-lē′)
  1. Island.
  2. A circumscribed body or patch on the skin.
  3. island of Reil
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.