island

[ahy-luh nd]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR island ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent.

something resembling an island, especially in being isolated or having little or no direct communication with others.

a raised platform with a counter or other work surface on top situated in the middle area of a room, especially a kitchen, so as to permit access from all sides.

safety island.

a low concrete platform for gasoline pumps at an automotive service station.

a clump of woodland in a prairie.

an isolated hill.

Anatomy. an isolated portion of tissue differing in structure from the surrounding tissue.

Railroads. a platform or building between sets of tracks.

verb (used with object)

to make into an island.

to dot with islands.

to place on an island; isolate.

Origin of island

before 900; Middle English iland, Old English īgland, īland, variant of īegland, equivalent to īeg island (cognate with Old Norse ey) + land land; spelling with -s- by association with isle

Related formsis·land·ish, is·land·like, adjectiveis·land·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for island

Contemporary Examples of island

But Krauss said that from the moment he and the other scientists arrived on the island, they never saw anything untoward.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking
M.L. Nestel
January 8, 2015
Let Jourdan Dunn be the first of many—not an island, or badge of self-congratulation.
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem
Danielle Belton
January 2, 2015
They were able to purchase weapons and plot attacks on the island without much interference.
Of Cuban Spies, a Baby, and a Filmmaker: The Strange Tale of the Cuban Five
Nina Strochlic
December 28, 2014
Today, as president, he constantly praises Fidel and Raúl in his speeches and frequently travels to the island.
Venezuela Says Goodbye to Its Lil Friend, While the Rest of the Continent Cheers
Catalina Lobo-Guererro
December 20, 2014
This would take time since, under current law, even scouting Cuban baseball players on the island is illegal.
Is Major League Baseball Ready For Cuba’s Players?
Ben Jacobs
December 19, 2014

Historical Examples of island

The natives of this part of the island became very friendly, as soon as they had recovered from their first suspicions.
The Boys of 1812 and Other Naval Heroes
James Russell Soley
Next in importance to the fiscal laws for the revenue of the Island comes the currency question.
Industrial Cuba
Robert P. Porter
There was abundant vegetation upon the island, but it does not appear to have looked quite real.
The Treasury of Ancient Egypt
Arthur E. P. B. Weigall
She was trying to remember all she knew of the courts of the island—where they were held, and on what days.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
Her skeleton was long a conspicuous object, visited by ramblers on the Island.
Toronto of Old
Henry Scadding

British Dictionary definitions for island

island

noun

a mass of land that is surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent

See traffic island

anatomy a part, structure, or group of cells distinct in constitution from its immediate surroundingsRelated adjective: insular

verb (tr) rare

to cause to become an island

to intersperse with islands

to place on an island; insulate; isolate

Derived Formsisland-like, adjective

Word Origin for island

Old English īgland, from īg island + land; s inserted through influence of isle

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 island

1590s, earlier yland (c.1300), from Old English igland "island," from ieg "island" (from Proto-Germanic *aujo "thing on the water," from PIE *akwa- "water;" see aqua-) + land "land." Spelling modified 15c. by association with similar but unrelated isle. An Old English cognate was ealand "river-land, watered place, meadow by a river." In place names, Old English ieg is often used of "slightly raised dry ground offering settlement sites in areas surrounded by marsh or subject to flooding" [Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names]. Related: Islander.

Medicine definitions for island

island

[ī′lənd]

n.

An isolated tissue or group of cells that is separated from the surrounding tissues by a groove or is marked by a difference in structure or function.

Science definitions for island