island

English Online Dictionary. What means island‎? What does island mean?

English

Alternative forms

• iland (obsolete)
• ylond, ylelond, yland (obsolete)

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈaɪlənd/
• Rhymes: -aɪlənd

Noun

island (plural islands)

1. A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.
2. (by extension, in place names) A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, partially surrounded by water; A peninsula; A half-island.

3. An entity surrounded by other entities that are very different from itself.

   (a calm place surrounded by a noisy environment)
4. A superstructure on an aircraft carrier's deck.
5. A traffic island.

6. (by extension, West Midlands) A roundabout; a traffic circle.

7. A bench, counter, etc., that is not connected to a wall or other furniture and which can be used from any side.
8. (government) An unincorporated area wholly surrounded by one or more incorporated areas.
9. (grammar) A phrase from which a wh-word cannot be extracted without yielding invalid grammar.

Synonyms

• (land surrounded by water): ait, holm
• (an entity surrounded by other very different entities): oasis

Derived terms

Related terms

• insular
• isle
• islet
• archipelago

Translations

Verb

island (third-person singular simple present islands, present participle islanding, simple past and past participle islanded)

1. (transitive) To surround with water; make into an island.
2. (transitive) To set, dot (as if) with islands.
3. (transitive) To isolate.

Synonyms

• isle

Translations

See also

• archipelago
• atoll
• cay, key
• continent
• peninsula
• ait, eyot, holm, braid bar
• crannog

Anagrams

• Ladins, Lindas, ilands, Landis

Scots

Alternative forms

• iland
• yland

Etymology

From Old English īġland.

Pronunciation

Noun

island (plural islands)

1. An island.