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island - 10 dictionary results
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is⋅land

  [ahy-luhnd]
Use island in a Sentence
–noun
1. a tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent.
2. something resembling an island, esp. in being isolated or having little or no direct communication with others.
3. a raised platform with a counter or other work surface on top situated in the middle area of a room, esp. a kitchen, so as to permit access from all sides.
4. safety island.
5. a low concrete platform for gasoline pumps at an automotive service station.
6. a clump of woodland in a prairie.
7. an isolated hill.
8. Anatomy. an isolated portion of tissue differing in structure from the surrounding tissue.
9. Railroads. a platform or building between sets of tracks.
–verb (used with object)
10. to make into an island.
11. to dot with islands.
12. to place on an island; isolate.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME iland, OE īgland, īland, var. of īegland, equiv. to īeg island (c. ON ey) + land land; sp. with -s- by assoc. with isle

Related forms:
is⋅land⋅ish, is⋅land⋅like, adjective
is⋅land⋅less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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is·land   (ī'lənd)   
n.  
  1. Abbr. Isl. or Is. or I. A land mass, especially one smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water.
  2. Something resembling an island, especially in being isolated or surrounded, as:
    1. An unattached kitchen counter providing easy access from all sides.
    2. A raised curbed area, often used to delineate rows of parking spaces or lanes of traffic.
    3. 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.

[Alteration (influenced by isle) of Middle English ilond, from Old English īegland : īg, īeg; see akw-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 evolved to *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 A.D. 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Island

Is"land\, n. [OE. iland, yland, AS. [=i]gland, ?gland, ?glond; [=i]g, ?g, island + land, lond, land. AS. [=i]g, ?g, is akin to AS. e['a] water, river, OHG. ?uwa, G. au meadow, Icel. ey island, Dan. & Sw. ["o], Goth. ahwa a stream, water, L. aqua water. The s is due to confusion with isle. Cf. Ait, Eyot, Ewer, Aquatic.]

1. A tract of land surrounded by water, and smaller than a continent. Cf. Continent.

2. Anything regarded as resembling an island; as, an island of ice.

3. (Zo["o]l.) See Isle, n., 2.

Islands of the blessed (Myth.), islands supposed to lie in the Western Ocean, where the favorites of the gods are conveyed at death, and dwell in everlasting joy.

Island

Is"land\, v. t. 1. To cause to become or to resemble an island; to make an island or islands of; to isle. --Shelley.

2. To furnish with an island or with islands; as, to island the deep. --Southey.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : island
Spanish: isla,
German: die Insel,
Japanese: 島
More Translations »

island 
O.E. igland "island," from ieg "island" (from P.Gmc. *aujo "thing on the water," from PIE *akwa- "water") + land "land." Spelling modified 15c. by association with similar but unrelated isle. An O.E. cognate was ealand "river-land, watered place, meadow by a river."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Island

A major electronic communications network that attempts to match investor orders to buy and sell NYSE, ASE, and Nasdaq National Market System and SmallCap securities. Orders that cannot be immediately matched are displayed as limit orders until matched, cancelled, or expiration. Only limit orders placed by subscribing broker-dealers are accepted by Island.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Main Entry: is·land
Pronunciation: 'I-l&nd
Function: noun
: an isolated anatomical structure, tissue, or group of cells
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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island is·land (ī'lənd)
n.
An isolated tissue or group of cells that is separated from the surrounding tissues by a groove or is marked by a difference in structure or function.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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island   (ī'lənd)  Pronunciation Key 
A land mass, especially one smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Island

(Heb. 'i, "dry land," as opposed to water) occurs in its usual signification (Isa. 42:4, 10, 12, 15, comp. Jer. 47:4), but more frequently simply denotes a maritime region or sea-coast (Isa. 20:6, R.V.," coastland;" 23:2, 6; Jer. 2:10; Ezek. 27:6, 7). (See CHITTIM.) The shores of the Mediterranean are called the "islands of the sea" (Isa. 11:11), or the "isles of the Gentiles" (Gen. 10:5), and sometimes simply "isles" (Ps. 72:10); Ezek. 26:15, 18; 27:3, 35; Dan. 11:18).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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