island

plural islands · alternative obsolete iland · alternative obsolete yland · alternative obsolete ylond · alternative obsolete ylelond

1. A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.

   It's only an island if you look at it from the water…

   1975, Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb, Jaws, spoken by Brody (Roy Scheider)

   2 more examples

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

   1624, John Donne, “17. Meditation”, in Deuotions upon Emergent Occasions, and Seuerall Steps in My Sicknes: […], London: […] A[ugustine] M[atthews] for Thomas Iones, →OCLC, pages 415–416

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

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

2. broadlyA 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 colors on a butterfly's wing

   3 more examples

   The quiet library was an island of tranquility in the noisy, bustling city.

   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.

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

   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"

   1939 October 27, Deseret News, Roosevelt Reaffirms American Neutrality

   Synonyms: oasis

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

   the island in the middle of a roundabout

6. West MidlandsbroadlyA roundabout; a traffic circle.

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

   1 more example

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

7. A bench, counter, etc., that is not connected to a wall or other furniture and which can be used from any side.

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

   1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter XXII, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, published 1940, page 216

   1. abbreviationbroadlyellipsisEllipsis of kitchen island.
8. governmentAn unincorporated area wholly surrounded by one or more incorporated areas.
9. grammarA 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".

present singular third person islands · participle present islanding · participle past islanded · past islanded · alternative obsolete iland · alternative obsolete yland · alternative obsolete ylond · alternative obsolete ylelond

1. transitiveTo surround with water; make into an island.

   The car soon seemed islanded in water.

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

   1 more example

   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.

   1933, Harriet Monroe, Poetry, volume 42

2. transitiveTo set, dot (as if) with islands.

   the many-islanded Aegean

   3 more examples

   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.

   1842, T. H. Chivers, “The Song of Seralim: A Celestial Melologue”, in Magnolia; Or Southern Appalachian, volume II, number 1, page 52

   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,[…]

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

   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.

   1930, Rupert Hughes, Ladies’ Man, page 143

3. transitiveTo isolate.

   High the vanes of Shrewsbury gleam / Islanded in Severn stream.

   1896, A[lfred] E[dward] Housman, “[Poem] XXVII”, in A Shropshire Lad, London: The Richards Press, →OCLC

   1 more example

   The turkey's nest was islanded with a fragrant swath,—the "heft" of the crop noted and rejoiced over,—the tons of good timothy and clover calculated,— […]

   1865, [Adeline Dutton Train Whitney], “The Secret at the Hartshornes”, in The Gayworthys: A Story of Threads and Thrums. […], Boston, Mass.: [A. K.] Loring, […], →OCLC, page 49

1. New York CityLong Island (in New York State).

   Candy came from out on the Island / In the backroom, she was everybody's darling

   1972, Lou Reed, “Walk on the Wild Side”, in Transformer

2. New JerseyLong Beach Island.
3. British ColumbiaVancouver Island.

   Angus felt "fantastic" to have made it around the Island and beaten the record.

   2011 July 7, Renee Andor, “His body hurts, but Vancouver Island circumnavigation record belongs to Angus”, in Comox Valley Record

   2 more examples

   A grizzly was photographed at Rugged Point near Kyuquot on the northwest coast of the Island in May, close to the time bears emerge from their dens, suggesting it had successfully hibernated on the Island.

   2008 December 8, “Grizzlies at home on the Island”, in Times Colonist

   And so, my lovely girlfriend Kari and I headed to the Island for a weekend of wines and dines.

   2010 October 12, Beau Simpson, “One 'Grape escape' on Vancouver Island”, in Surrey Now

4. CanadacolloquialSynonym of Prince Edward Island.

   Synonyms: Prince Edward Island

5. InterneteuphemisticEpstein Island.
6. UKcolloquialHM Prison Parkhurst, a prison on the Isle of Wight.

1. obsoleteObsolete form of Iceland.

   […] Island, Groonland, Estotiland […]

   1624, John Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles