insulate

C2+ Topic:Materials & Substances

US /ˈɪnsəˌleɪt/ UK /ˈɪnsjʊˌleɪt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to protect by surrounding with a non-conducting material or barrier

They insulated the attic to keep the heat from escaping.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to protect by surrounding... protect shield cushion isolate cocoon lag

Opposites

expose conduct

Word family

Derived forms insulationinsulator

Related forms isolate insular peninsula isle

Etymology

From Latin insula ('island') + -ate, meaning literally 'to make into an island', hence to isolate or set apart with a non-conducting barrier.

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Materials & Substances Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# insulate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈɪnsəˌleɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɪnsjʊˌleɪt/

## Meanings
1. to protect by surrounding with a non-conducting material or barrier

## Examples
- They insulated the attic to keep the heat from escaping.

## Synonyms
- protect
- shield
- cushion
- isolate
- cocoon
- lag

## Antonyms
- expose
- conduct

## Derived Forms
- insulation
- insulator

## Related Forms
- isolate
- insular
- peninsula
- isle

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: insula

## Etymology
From Latin insula ('island') + -ate, meaning literally 'to make into an island', hence to isolate or set apart with a non-conducting barrier.

## AI Etymology
Insulate comes from Latin insula ('island') + -ate, meaning literally 'to make into an island', hence to isolate or set apart with a non-conducting barrier. The etymological trail includes Latin insula. As a verb, insulate means to protect by surrounding with a non-conducting material or barrier. The same family is visible in derived forms such as insulation and insulator and related forms such as isolate, insular, peninsula, and isle. Morphologically, the word is built from the elements named in its history, so the modern form preserves a visible compound, prefix, or suffix structure.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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