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island

noun
/ˈaɪlənd/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ Proto-Germanic *awjō Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-om Proto-Germanic *landą Proto-Germanic *awjōlandą Proto-West Germanic *auwjuland Old English īeġland Middle English ilond English iland English island From earlier iland, from Middle English iland, yland, ylond, from Old English īeġland, from Proto-West Germanic *auwjuland, from Proto-Germanic *awjōlandą (from Proto-Germanic *awjō (“island, waterland, meadow”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂) + *landą (“land”), equivalent to ey + land. Doublet of Öland. Cognate with Scots island, iland, yland (“island”), West Frisian eilân (“island”), Saterland Frisian Ailound (“island”), Dutch eiland (“island”), Low German Eiland (“island”), German Eiland (“island”), Swedish ö (“island”), Öland (“Sweden's second largest island”), Danish ø (“island”), Norwegian øy (“island”), øyland (“large island”), Icelandic eyland (“island”). The insertion of ⟨s⟩—a 16th century spelling modification—is due to a change in spelling to the unrelated term isle, which previously lacked s (cf. Middle English ile, yle). The re-addition was mistakenly carried over to include iland as well. Related also to German Aue (“water-meadow”), Latin aqua (“water”). More at ea.

  1. derived from *h₂ekʷeh₂✻
  2. derived from *awjō✻ — “island, waterland, meadow”
  3. inherited from *awjōlandą✻
  4. inherited from *auwjuland✻
  5. inherited from īeġland
  6. inherited from iland

Definitions

  1. A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.

    • No man is an Iland, intire of it ſelfe; euery man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; […]
    • It's only an island if you look at it from the water…
    • Sumatra is the second largest island in the East Indies and the fourth largest in the world covering 182,859 square miles.

  2. A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, partially surrounded by water

    A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, partially surrounded by water; a peninsula; a half-island.

    • Despite its name, Barry Island is actually a peninsula

  3. An entity surrounded by other entities that are very different from itself.

    • The quiet library was an island of tranquility in the noisy, bustling city.
    • an island of colors on a butterfly's wing
  4. ›+ 16 more definitions

    1. A superstructure on an aircraft carrier's deck.

    2. A traffic island.

      • the island in the middle of a roundabout

    3. A roundabout

      A roundabout; a traffic circle.

      • Dunton island, near Birmingham, is one of the most confusingly labelled islands in the U.K.
      • In Coventry, you will often hear people say: “Turn right at the island”.

    4. A bench, counter, etc., that is not connected to a wall or other furniture and which can…

      A bench, counter, etc., that is not connected to a wall or other furniture and which can be used from any side.

      • A short, rather studious young woman on noticing him moved from behind an island counter.

    5. An unincorporated area wholly surrounded by one or more incorporated areas.

    6. A phrase from which a wh-word cannot be extracted without yielding invalid grammar.

      • Adverbial subordinate clauses are islands for extraction: "They have a billion dollars of inventory that they don't know where *(it) is".

    7. To surround with water

      To surround with water; make into an island.

      • We paused at little river cities along the way and walked upon their bushy dikes, and heard tales of overflows in flood seasons, when four feet or more of water islanded the houses.
      • The car soon seemed islanded in water.

    8. To set, dot (as if) with islands.

      • the many-islanded Aegean
      • God dwells in light! Before the ocean of unmeasured space, was islanded with stars serenely bright, reflecting back the radiance of his face - he dwelt above in heaven’s immortal bliss, thinking into existence that which is.
      • This Apulia is a land of vast pastures and cornfields and olive gardens, islanded with many rich cities, notable if only for the splendour of their churches,[…]

    9. To isolate.

      • The turkey's nest was islanded with a fragrant swath,—the "heft" of the crop noted and rejoiced over,—the tons of good timothy and clover calculated,— […]
      • High the vanes of Shrewsbury gleam / Islanded in Severn stream.

    10. Long Island (in New York State).

      • Candy came from out on the Island / In the backroom, she was everybody's darling

    11. Long Beach Island.

    12. Vancouver Island.

      • A grizzly was photographed at Rugged Point near Kyuquot on the northwest coast of the Island in May, close to the time bears emerge from their dens, suggesting it had successfully hibernated on the Island.
      • And so, my lovely girlfriend Kari and I headed to the Island for a weekend of wines and dines.
      • Angus felt "fantastic" to have made it around the Island and beaten the record.

    13. Synonym of Prince Edward Island.

    14. Epstein Island.

    15. HM Prison Parkhurst, a prison on the Isle of Wight.

    16. Obsolete form of Iceland.

      • […] Island, Groonland, Estotiland […]

The neighborhood

Derived

ABC island, ABC Islands, Absecon Island, Adams Island, Admiralty Islands, Aegadean Islands, Aegadian Islands, Aegean Islands, Aeolian Islands, Aland Islands, Åland Islands, Aaland Islands, Aleutian Islands, Aleutic Islands, Aleut Islands, Alexander I Island, Alexander Island, Amelia Island, Amindivi Islands, Amirante Islands, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andaman Islands, Andreanof Islands, Apostle Islands, Aru Islands, Ashby Island, Auckland Island, Auckland Islands, Aurora Islands, Austral Island, Austral Islands, Axel Heiberg Island, Babar Islands, Babbage Island, Babuyan Islands, Badu Island, Bainbridge Island, Baker Island, Baker's Island, Balearic Islands · +577 more

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for island. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA