floating island

American  

noun

1. a dessert consisting of boiled custard with portions of meringue, whipped cream, or whipped egg whites and sometimes jelly floating upon it or around it.

2. a floating mass of earth and partly decayed vegetation held together by interlacing roots, as on a lake: usually formed by the accumulation of plant litter; sometimes artificially built on wooden platforms, as in Asia.

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floating island British  

noun

1. a floating mass of soil held together by vegetation

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Etymology

Origin of floating island

First recorded in 1630–40

Example Sentences

It is not a tax haven for gringos, nor is it a “floating island of garbage”; it’s a gem that needs to be nurtured for generations to come.

From Los Angeles Times

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Surge, the newsletter world’s floating island of garbage—but a floating island of garbage that fights for you.

From Slate

“I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now,” Hinchcliffe said.

From Los Angeles Times

I came to the surface I found that I formed part of a large, round, floating island composed of people and debris of all sorts, lying so close together that at first there was not very much water noticeable in between.

From Literature

You practically need a microscope to see the ile flottante, a speck of a “floating island” summoned from meringue and freckled with candied rose and nuts.

From Washington Post