Nearby Words

insulate

[in-suh-leyt, ins-yuh-] Example Sentences Origin

in·su·late

[in-suh-leyt, ins-yuh-]
verb (used with object), -lat·ed, -lat·ing.
1.
to cover, line, or separate with a material that prevents or reduces the passage, transfer, or leakage of heat, electricity, or sound: to insulate an electric wire with a rubber sheath; to insulate a coat with down.
2.
to place in an isolated situation or condition; segregate.

Origin:
1530–40; < Latin insulātus made into an island. See insula, -ate1

non·in·su·lat·ing, adjective
pre·in·su·late, verb (used with object), -lat·ed, -lat·ing.
re·in·su·late, verb (used with object), -lat·ed, -lat·ing.
su·per·in·su·lat·ed, adjective
un·in·su·lat·ed, adjective
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well-in·su·lat·ed, adjective
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Insulate is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
Example Sentences
  • The reserve will insulate the company's future earnings in case the program is discontinued, the company said.
  • The solution was to insulate the area to the outside and wrap the pipe in question in heat tape.
  • The president sought to insulate the elderly from any bad effects.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
insulate (ˈɪnsjʊˌleɪt)
 
vb
1.  to prevent or reduce the transmission of electricity, heat, or sound to or from (a body, device, or region) by surrounding with a nonconducting material
2.  to isolate or detach
 
[C16: from Late Latin insulātus: made into an island]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

insulate
1538, "make into an island," from L. insulatus (see insular). Sense of "cause a person or thing to be detached from surroundings" is from 1785. Electrical/chemical sense of "block from electricity or heat" is from 1742. Insulation "insulating material" is from 1870.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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