insula

[in-suh-luh, ins-yuh-]

noun, plural in·su·lae

[in-suh-lee, ins-yuh-] /ˈɪn səˌli, ˈɪns yə-/. Anatomy.

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 of insula

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.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, v. 27
Various
Ogygia, name of Ireland, or of the Insula Hyperboreorum, 437.
The Round Towers of Ireland
Henry O'Brien
Here, in short, is the record of an oblong 'insula' in the Roman town of Orange.
Ancient Town-Planning
F. Haverfield
Domus, a house, meant a dwelling occupied by one family, whether it were an insula or not.
Stories of the Olden Time
Various

British Dictionary definitions for insula

insula

noun plural -lae (-ˌliː)

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 for insula

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

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

insula in Medicine

insula

[ĭn′sə-lə, ĭns′yə-]

n. pl. -lae (-lē′)

Island.
A circumscribed body or patch on the skin.
island of Reil