isolate

[ verb ahy-suh-leyt; noun, adjective ahy-suh-lit, -leyt ]

/ verb ˈaɪ səˌleɪt; noun, adjective ˈaɪ sə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

See synonyms for: isolate / isolated / isolating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), i·so·lat·ed, i·so·lat·ing.

to set or place apart; detach or separate so as to be alone.

Medicine/Medical. to keep (an infected person) from contact with noninfected persons; quarantine.

Chemistry, Bacteriology. to obtain (a substance or microorganism) in an uncombined or pure state.

Electricity. to insulate.

Television. to single out (a person, action, etc.) for a camera closeup.

noun

a person, thing, or group that is set apart or isolated, as for purposes of study.

Psychology. a person, often shy or lacking in social skills, who avoids the company of others and has no friends within a group.

Biology. an inbreeding population that is isolated from similar populations by physiological, behavioral, or geographic barriers.

Also called language isolate. Linguistics. a language with no demonstrable genetic relationship, as Basque.

something that has been isolated, as a by-product in a manufacturing process: an isolate of soy flour.

adjective

isolated; alone.

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Origin of isolate

First recorded in 1800–10; back formation from isolated

OTHER WORDS FROM isolate

i·so·la·tor, nounre·i·so·late, verb (used with object), re·i·so·lat·ed, re·i·so·lat·ing.un·i·so·late, verb (used with object), un·i·so·lat·ed, un·i·so·lat·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

British Dictionary definitions for isolate

isolate

verb (ˈaɪsəˌleɪt) (tr)

to place apart; cause to be alone

med to quarantine (a person or animal) having or suspected of having a contagious disease

to obtain (a compound) in an uncombined form

to obtain pure cultures of (bacteria, esp those causing a particular disease)

electronics to prevent interaction between (circuits, components, etc); insulate

noun (ˈaɪsəlɪt)

an isolated person or group

Derived forms of isolate

isolable, adjectiveisolability, nounisolator, noun

Word Origin for isolate

C19: back formation from isolated, via Italian from Latin insulātus, literally: made into an island; see insulate

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

Medical definitions for isolate

isolate

[ ī′sə-lāt′ ]

v.

To set apart or cut off from others.

To place in quarantine.

To separate a pure strain from a mixed bacterial or fungal culture.

To separate or remove a chemical substance out of a combined mixture.

To separate experiences or memories from the emotions relating to them.

n.

A bacterial or fungal strain that has been isolated.

Other words from isolate

i′so•la′tor n.

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isolate

verb (used with object), i·so·lat·ed, i·so·lat·ing.