Islands

is·land

 (ī′lənd)

n.

1. Abbr. Isl. or Is. or I. A landmass, especially one smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water.

2. Something resembling an island, especially in being isolated or surrounded, as:

a. An unattached kitchen counter providing easy access from all sides.

b. A raised curbed area, often used to delineate rows of parking spaces or lanes of traffic.

c. The superstructure of a ship, especially an aircraft carrier.

3. Anatomy A cluster of cells differing in structure or function from the cells constituting the surrounding tissue.

tr.v. is·land·ed, is·land·ing, is·lands

To make into or as if into an island; insulate: a secluded mansion, islanded by shrubbery and fences.

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[Alteration (influenced by isle) of Middle English ilond, from Old English īegland : īg, īeg; see ak^w-ā- in Indo-European roots + land, land; see lendh- in Indo-European roots.]

Word History: It may seem hard to believe, but Latin aqua, "water," is related to island, which originally meant "watery land." Aqua comes almost unchanged from Indo-European *akwā-, "water." *Akwā- became *ahwō- in Germanic by Grimm's Law and other sound changes. To this was built the adjective *ahwjō-, "watery." This then became *awwjō- or *auwi-, which in pre-English became *ēaj-, and finally ēg or īeg in Old English. Island, spelled iland, first appears in Old English in King Alfred's translation of Boethius about ad 888; the spellings igland and ealond appear in contemporary documents. The s in island is due to a mistaken etymology, confusing the etymologically correct English iland with French isle. Isle comes ultimately from Latin īnsula "island," a component of paenīnsula, "almost-island," whence our peninsula.

Islands

(ˈaɪləndz)

pl n

(Placename) the Islands NZ the islands of the South Pacific