island

CEFRA1

/ˈaɪlənd/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

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

Examples

  • A bridge gives access to the island.

  • Seen from the sky, the island was very beautiful.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /aj.læɳɖ/

Deep Dive

noun

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

  2. A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, partially surrounded by water; a peninsula; a half-island.

  3. A superstructure on an aircraft carrier's deck.

More examples

In context
  • Sugar is an important crop on the island.

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

  • an island of colors on a butterfly's wing

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After the earthquake, the boat drifted until it reached a small blank covered with tall palm trees.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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...