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The words island and isle are etymologically distinct. Island can be traced back to Old English īgland, composed of two elements īg and land. Land, as we might expect means “land,” but īg means “island” in Old English. In a sense, then, īgland is “island-land.” The English isle, on the other hand, is derived through medieval French from the Latin insula. In the 16th century, under the influence of isle, the letter s was added to iland, the earlier form of island. The verb island did not appear until the 17th century.
Synonyms
Examples of island in a Sentence
Angus MacKinnon, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
In the music-heavy clip, Moana returns to her home island of Montunui and is greeted with a hero’s welcome.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Just months ago, the world's largest surfing wave pool opened up on the island — filled with freshwater.
—Li Cohen, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Forested mountaintop islands float above a vast sea of desert and grasslands, creating lush habitats where none should be.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
Back inside, the chef’s kitchen is decked out with an eat-in island with Bianco Oro marble countertops that waterfull off the ends, custom matte white cabinets, and top-of-the-line Gaggenau appliances.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
The 52-year-old claimed 51 votes to Biden's 40 to win the island's six delegates.
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
The consultants also recommended loosening some of the zoning rules to allow for more one- and two- story developments instead of the current rules, which set a five-story minimum for most of the island.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024
Her past research has found that beavers create wildfire refuges: unburned or lightly crisped islands where plants and animals are able to survive amid flames.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024
Boaters and sailors can island hop among the myriad cays, stopping to swim, dive, and snorkel, or to enjoy refreshments at a colorful beach bar.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024
Querétaro, a historic city in Central Mexico, and Isla Mujeres and Cozumel, islands off the coast of Cancun and Riviera Maya, all offer housing for as low as $500 a month, access to excellent healthcare, and an abundance of recreational activities.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024
And there's lots of different theories about which islands around the Mediterranean could've corresponded to which lands in the Odyssey, and they're all based basically on kind of whimsy or things like a particular cave or the arrangement of the stars on a specific island.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2024
Little Torch Key, and its sister islands Middle and Big Torch Key, were named after the torchwood, a native tree found on all three islands that's effective as kindling even when wet.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2023
Want to island hop around French Polynesia, visit Africa's incredible cities, and cruise through Asia without ever switching hotels or repacking your bags?
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 14 Feb. 2023
Customize it to display the lake or island their choice and watch them fall in love with hosting all over again.
—Ni'kesia Pannell, Woman's Day, 14 Sep. 2022
The result has been a reduction in costs and greenhouse gas emissions with the renewable energy of solar and combined heat and power, as well as having a plan in place to island off the traditional power grid in case of any future outages.
—Luis D’acosta, Forbes, 24 June 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'island.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near island
Cite this Entry
“Island.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/island. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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island
noun
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