island
A1Meanings
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1
noun
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; […]
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2
noun
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
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3
noun
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.
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4
noun
A traffic island.
the island in the middle of a roundabout
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5
noun
A roundabout; a traffic circle.
Dunton island, near Birmingham, is one of the most confusingly labelled islands in the U.K.
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6
noun
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.
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7
noun
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".
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8
verb
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.
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 is…