ISLAND DEFINITIONS - 18 definitions found
island n 1: a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water 2: a zone or area resembling an island island - bufab island landis island ˈaɪlənd See: SAFETY ISLAND. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) Island or Ísland geographical name — see Iceland Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) island I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: alteration (influenced by Anglo-French isle) of earlier iland, from Middle English, from Old English īgland (akin to Old Norse eyland), from īg island (akin to Old English ēa river, Latin aqua water) + land land Date: before 12th century 1. a tract of land surrounded by water and smaller than a continent 2. something resembling an island especially in its isolated or surrounded position: as a. a usually raised area within a thoroughfare, parking lot, or driveway used especially to separate or direct traffic b. a superstructure on the deck of a ship (as an aircraft carrier) c. a kitchen counter that is approachable from all sides 3. an isolated group or area; especially an isolated ethnological group II. transitive verb Date: 1661 1. a. to make into or as if into an island b. to dot with or as if with islands 2. isolate Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary island (islands) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water. ...the Canary Islands. N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES English Explanatory Dictionary island ˈaɪlənd n. 1 a piece of land surrounded by water. 2 anything compared to an island, esp. in being surrounded in some way. 3 = traffic island. 4 a a detached or isolated thing. b Physiol. a detached portion of tissue or group of cells (cf. ISLET). 5 Naut. a ship's superstructure, bridge, etc. [OE igland f. ig island + LAND: first syll. infl. by ISLE] 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue ISLAND He drank out of the bottle till he saw the island; the island is the rising bottom of a wine bottle, which appears like an island in the centre, before the bottle is quite empty. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Island \Is"land\, v. t. 1. To cause to become or to resemble an island; to make an island or islands of; to isle. --Shelley. 2. To furnish with an island or with islands; as, to island the deep. --Southey. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Island \Is"land\, n. [OE. iland, yland, AS. [=i]gland, ?gland, ?glond; [=i]g, ?g, island + land, lond, land. AS. [=i]g, ?g, is akin to AS. e['a] water, river, OHG. ?uwa, G. au meadow, Icel. ey island, Dan. & Sw. ["o], Goth. ahwa a stream, water, L. aqua water. The s is due to confusion with isle. Cf. Ait, Eyot, Ewer, Aquatic.] 1. A tract of land surrounded by water, and smaller than a continent. Cf. Continent. 2. Anything regarded as resembling an island; as, an island of ice. 3. (Zo["o]l.) See Isle, n., 2. Islands of the blessed (Myth.), islands supposed to lie in the Western Ocean, where the favorites of the gods are conveyed at death, and dwell in everlasting joy. Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary Island (Heb. 'i, "dry land," as opposed to water) occurs in its usual signification (Isa. 42:4, 10, 12, 15, comp. Jer. 47:4), but more frequently simply denotes a maritime region or sea-coast (Isa. 20:6, R.V.," coastland;" 23:2, 6; Jer. 2:10; Ezek. 27:6, 7). (See CHITTIM.) The shores of the Mediterranean are called the "islands of the sea" (Isa. 11:11), or the "isles of the Gentiles" (Gen. 10:5), and sometimes simply "isles" (Ps. 72:10); Ezek. 26:15, 18; 27:3, 35; Dan. 11:18). Island, KY (city, FIPS 39700) Location: 37.44274 N, 87.14765 W Population (1990): 446 (199 housing units) Area: 0.9 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 42350 Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms island n. Isle. English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms) island ˈaɪlənd n. isle, islet, ait, cay, key; atoll; archipelago; Brit dialect eyot, holm: There are actually about 1500 islands in the Thousand Islands in the St Lawrence river. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 49 Moby Thesaurus words for "island": aerodrome, air base, airdrome, airfield, airport, ait, archipelagian, archipelagic, archipelago, atoll, bar, cay, close off, continental island, coral head, coral island, coral reef, cut off, enisle, field, heliport, holm, insular, insularity, insulate, insulated, island group, island-dotted, islanded, islandish, islandlike, islandology, islandy, isle, islet, isleted, isolated, key, landing, landing field, oceanic island, port, reef, sandbank, sandbar, seagirt, segregate, separate, sequester |
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