Island
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island¹
- /ˈaɪlənd/ Western
- /aj.læɳɖ/ South Asia
Rhymes with -aɪlənd
Where it comes from
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 island, iland, yland (“island”), West Frisian eilân (“island”), Saterland Frisian Ailound (“island”), Dutch eiland (“island”), Low German Eiland (“island”), German Eiland (“island”), Swedish ö (“island”), Öland (“Sweden's second largest island”), Danish ø (“island”), Norwegian øy (“island”), øyland (“large island”), Icelandic eyland (“island”).
The insertion of ⟨s⟩—a 16th century spelling modification—is due to a change in spelling to the unrelated term isle, which previously lacked s (cf. Middle English ile, yle). The re-addition was mistakenly carried over to include iland as well. Related also to German Aue (“water-meadow”), Latin aqua (“water”). More at ea.
noun islands · iland · yland · ylond · ylelond
- 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; […]
- 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
- 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.
- A superstructure on an aircraft carrier's deck.
- A traffic island. the island in the middle of a roundabout
- A roundabout; a traffic circle. Dunton island, near Birmingham, is one of the most confusingly labelled islands in the U.K.
- 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.
- Ellipsis of kitchen island.kitchen island
- An unincorporated area wholly surrounded by one or more incorporated areas.
- 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".
verb islands · islanding · islanded · iland · yland
- 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.
- To set, dot (as if) with islands. the many-islanded Aegean
- To isolate. The turkey's nest was islanded with a fragrant swath,—the "heft" of the crop noted and rejoiced over,—the tons of good timothy and clover calculated,— […]
Similar: isle
Island²
proper noun the Island
- Long Island (in New York State). Candy came from out on the Island / In the backroom, she was everybody's darling
- Long Beach Island.
- Vancouver Island. A grizzly was photographed at Rugged Point near Kyuquot on the northwest coast of the Island in May, close to the time bears emerge from their dens, suggesting it had successfully hibernated on the Island.
- Synonym of Prince Edward Island.
- Epstein Island.
- HM Prison Parkhurst, a prison on the Isle of Wight.
Island³
proper noun
- Obsolete form of Iceland.Iceland […] Island, Groonland, Estotiland […]
