Also spelled islan
Meanings
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1
noun
A piece of land that is completely surrounded by water
They spent their holiday on a small tropical island.
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2
noun
A flat unit of counter or storage standing on its own in the middle of a kitchen
We chopped the vegetables on the kitchen island.
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3
noun
A small raised area in the middle of a road for safety
She waited on the traffic island before crossing the rest of the road.
Thesaurus
Common collocations
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…