island

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

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.

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 mistakingly carried over to include iland as well. Related also to German Aue (“water-meadow”), Latin aqua (“water”). More at ea.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈaɪ̯lənd/

• Audio (UK)

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• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -aɪlənd

island (plural islands)

1. A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.
   • 1624, John Donne, “17. Meditation”, in Deuotions upon Emergent Occasions, and Seuerall Steps in My Sicknes: […], London: Printed by A[ugustine] M[atthews] for Thomas Iones, OCLC 55189476; republished as Geoffrey Keynes, John Sparrow, editor, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions: […], Cambridge: At the University Press, 1923, OCLC 459265555, lines 2–3, page 98:

     No man is an Iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; […]

   • 2002, Gordon L. Rottman, World War 2 Pacific island guide:

     Sumatra is the second largest island in the East Indies and the fourth largest in the world covering 182,859 square miles.

2. (by extension, in place names) 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

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

   an island of tranquility

   (a calm place surrounded by a noisy environment)

   an island of colors on a butterfly's wing

   • 2018 April 10, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London)‎:

     He was on the ball in a flash, swerving to the left of City’s goalkeeper, Ederson, before shaping his body for a tricky angled finish. He was an island of composure, floating in his 39th goal of the season with a delicate chip into the corner.

   • 1939, Deseret News, October 27 1939, Roosevelt Reaffirms American Neutrality

     King Leopold, speaking in fluent English during his six minute broadcast, said Belgium stood side by side with Holland "an Island of peace in the interests of all"

4. A superstructure on an aircraft carrier's deck.
5. A traffic island.

   the island in the middle of a roundabout

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

   Dunton island, near Birmingham, is one of the most confusingly labelled islands in the U.K.

   In Coventry, you will often hear people say: “Turn right at the island”.

7. A bench, counter, etc., that is not connected to a wall or other furniture and which can be used from any side.
   • 1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter XXII, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, published 1940, page 216:

     A short, rather studious young woman on noticing him moved from behind an island counter.

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.

   Adverbial subordinate clauses are islands for extraction: "They have a billion dollars of inventory that they don't know where *(it) is".

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

• insular
• isle
• islet
• archipelago

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.
   • 1933, Harriet Monroe, Poetry: Volume 42

     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.

   • 1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 138:

     The car soon seemed islanded in water.

2. (transitive) To set, dot (as if) with islands.

   • 1842, T.H.Chivers, “The Song of Seralim: A Celestial Melologue”, in Magnolia; Or Southern Appalachian - Vol. II - No.1, page 52:

     God dwells in light! Before the ocean of unmeasured space, was islanded with stars serenely bright, reflecting back the radiance of his face - he dwelt above in heaven’s immortal bliss, thinking into existence that which is.

     1915, Edward Hutton, Naples and Southern Italy, page 22:

     This Apulia is a land of vast pastures and cornfields and olive gardens, islanded with many rich cities, notable if only for the splendour of their churches,[…]

     1930, Rupert Hughes, Ladies’ Man, page 143:

     She knew that the town was islanded with many waters - the Hudson, the Harlem and the East rivers, and the Bay - but the rivers were hard to find in the universal velvetiness.

3. (transitive) To isolate.
   • 1896, A. E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad, XXVII, lines 1-2

     High the vanes of Shrewsbury gleam

     Islanded in Severn stream.

• isle

• archipelago
• atoll
• cay, key
• continent
• peninsula

• Ladins, Landis, ilands

• iland
• yland

From Old English īġland.

island (plural islands)

1. An island.