Meaning of "island" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD ISLAND

Old English īgland, from īg island + land; s inserted through influence of isle.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF ISLAND

island  [ˈaɪlənd]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF ISLAND

Island is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb island in English.

WHAT DOES ISLAND MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Island

An island /ˈaɪlənd/ or isle /ˈaɪl/ is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be called an eyot or ait, or a holm. A grouping of geographically or geologically related islands is called an archipelago, e.g. the Philippines. An island may be described as such despite the presence of an artificial land bridge, for example Singapore and its causeway, or the various Dutch delta islands, such as IJsselmonde. Some places may even retain "island" in their names for historical reasons after being connected to a larger landmass by a wide land bridge, such as Coney Island or Coronado Island. Conversely, when a piece of land is separated from the mainland by a man-made canal, for example the Peloponnese by the Corinth Canal, it is generally not considered an island. There are two main types of islands: continental islands and oceanic islands. There are also artificial islands.

Definition of island in the English dictionary

The first definition of island in the dictionary is a mass of land that is surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent. Other definition of island is a part, structure, or group of cells distinct in constitution from its immediate surroundings related adjective insular. Island is also to cause to become an island.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO ISLAND

PRESENT

Present

I island

you island

he/she/it islands

we island

you island

they island

Present continuous

I am islanding

you are islanding

he/she/it is islanding

we are islanding

you are islanding

they are islanding

Present perfect

I have islanded

you have islanded

he/she/it has islanded

we have islanded

you have islanded

they have islanded

Present perfect continuous

I have been islanding

you have been islanding

he/she/it has been islanding

we have been islanding

you have been islanding

they have been islanding

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I islanded

you islanded

he/she/it islanded

we islanded

you islanded

they islanded

Past continuous

I was islanding

you were islanding

he/she/it was islanding

we were islanding

you were islanding

they were islanding

Past perfect

I had islanded

you had islanded

he/she/it had islanded

we had islanded

you had islanded

they had islanded

Past perfect continuous

I had been islanding

you had been islanding

he/she/it had been islanding

we had been islanding

you had been islanding

they had been islanding

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will island

you will island

he/she/it will island

we will island

you will island

they will island

Future continuous

I will be islanding

you will be islanding

he/she/it will be islanding

we will be islanding

you will be islanding

they will be islanding

Future perfect

I will have islanded

you will have islanded

he/she/it will have islanded

we will have islanded

you will have islanded

they will have islanded

Future perfect continuous

I will have been islanding

you will have been islanding

he/she/it will have been islanding

we will have been islanding

you will have been islanding

they will have been islanding

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would island

you would island

he/she/it would island

we would island

you would island

they would island

Conditional continuous

I would be islanding

you would be islanding

he/she/it would be islanding

we would be islanding

you would be islanding

they would be islanding

Conditional perfect

I would have island

you would have island

he/she/it would have island

we would have island

you would have island

they would have island

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been islanding

you would have been islanding

he/she/it would have been islanding

we would have been islanding

you would have been islanding

they would have been islanding

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you island
we let´s island
you island

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to island

Past participle

islanded

Present Participle

islanding

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «ISLAND»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «island» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of island

atoll · holm · inch · isle · islet

TRANSLATION OF ISLAND

Find out the translation of island to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of island from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «island» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 岛屿
• Translator English - Spanish: isla
• English: island
• Translator English - Hindi: द्वीप
• Translator English - Arabic: جَزِيرَةٌ
• Translator English - Russian: остров
• Translator English - Portuguese: ilha
• Translator English - Bengali: দ্বীপ
• Translator English - French: île
• Translator English - Malay: Pulau
• Translator English - German: Insel
• Translator English - Japanese: 島
• Translator English - Korean: 섬
• Translator English - Javanese: Pulo
• Translator English - Vietnamese: đảo
• Translator English - Tamil: தீவின்
• Translator English - Marathi: बेट
• Translator English - Turkish: ada
• Translator English - Italian: isola
• Translator English - Polish: wyspa
• Translator English - Ukrainian: острів
• Translator English - Romanian: insulă
• Translator English - Greek: νησί
• Translator English - Afrikaans: eiland
• Translator English - Swedish: ö
• Translator English - Norwegian: øy

10 QUOTES WITH «ISLAND»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word island.

1

Venerable Bede

Ireland, in breadth, and for wholesomeness and serenity of climate, far surpasses Britain; for the snow scarcely ever lies there above three days: no man makes hay in the summer for winter's provision, or builds stables for his beasts of burden... the island abounds in milk and honey.

2

James Theodore Bent

In every island of the Aegean Sea are found abundant traces of a vast prehistoric empire.

3

Amy J. Berg

As the people of Shishmaref lose their natural hunting grounds to the warming sea, they are forced to buy U.S. canned goods from the only local store on the island; however, this is not their natural diet and cannot sustain them throughout the year.

4

Gael Garcia Bernal

I think the water dictates how food will taste in a country. In England the apples taste unlike apples grown in any other place. England is an island, there's a lot of salt in the air and in the water. I think that has something to do with it.

5

Thomas Bulfinch

The Romans held Britain from the invasion of Julius Caesar till their voluntary withdrawal from the island, A.D. 420,- that is, about five hundred years.

6

Wilfred Burchett

In this first testing ground of the atomic bomb I have seen the most terrible and frightening desolation in four years of war. It makes a blitzed Pacific island seem like an Eden. The damage is far greater than photographs can show.

7

David Cameron

We have the character of an island nation: independent, forthright, passionate in defence of our sovereignty. We can no more change this British sensibility than we can drain the English Channel. And because of this sensibility, we come to the European Union with a frame of mind that is more practical than emotional.

8

Leos Carax

When I was 16, I discovered this island called cinema and I thought: 'Oh, how wonderful; I'm ready.'

9

Nestor Carbonell

I was born in New York, but I'm of Cuban heritage. Maybe there's a little island in my blood.

10

Willem Dafoe

Let's hope I never end up on a deserted island, because I could never make a decision on which three CDs to take with me.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ISLAND»

Discover the use of island in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to island and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Treasure Island

While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them money, the mistress of the inn and her son find a treasure map that leads them to a pirate's fortune.

Laurel and Associates, Robert Louis Stevenson, 1999

Bad Island

After Reese and his family are stranded on an island during a boating trip, they discover the island is not what it seems when the island's lethal inhabitants come after them.

‎2011

No Man Is an Island

This volume is a stimulating series of spiritual reflections which will prove helpful for all struggling to find the meaning of human existence and to live the richest, fullest and noblest life. --Chicago Tribune

Thomas Merton, 2005

Nim's Island

But when her father’s cell-phone calls stop coming and disaster seems near, Nim has to be stronger and braver than she’s ever been before. And she’ll need all her friends to help her. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Wendy Orr, 2008

Island: The Collected Stories

We hope they will aid your understanding of this powerful short story collection, representing thirty years of MacLeod's writing about his beloved Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and the descendants of the Scottish Highlanders who inhabit this ...

Alistair MacLeod, 2001

Rotten Island

Rotten Island has always been a paradise for nasty creatures, until one awful day a beautiful flower begins to grow, threatening to spoil the island forever.

William Steig, 2005

Island: Fact and Theory in Nature

This provocative book describes Guana's flora and fauna against the backdrop of islands worldwide and their ecology, evolution, and conservation.

James D. Lazell, 2005

Shipwreck

Follows a group of six kids stranded on a deserted island as they embark on a quest for survival that tests their limits.

Gordon Korman, 2001

Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective

Misconceptions about the Three Mile Island crisis are cleared up in a study that reveals the causes, contexts, and consequences of the worst accident in the history of nuclear power in the United States.

J. Samuel Walker, 2006

The Other Side of the Island

Born in the eighth year of Enclosure, ten-year-old Honor lives in a highly regulated colony with her defiant parents, but when they have an illegal second child and are taken away, it is up to Honor and her friend Helix, another ...

Allegra Goodman, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ISLAND»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term island is used in the context of the following news items.

BREAKING: Staten Island BOLO Issued for Possible Terrorists …

Authorities on Staten Island are looking for the cars and people shown in these photos. (NYPD). A lane on the Outerbridge Crossing was ... «New York Observer, Jul 15»

Police looking on Staten Island for men possibly with assault rifles …

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are on high alert, looking for people possibly carrying assault rifles, law enforcement sources told the Advance. «SILive.com, Jul 15»

Taiwan Promotes Its Island Claim in South China Sea - ABC News

Taiwan's unusual use of Taiping Island in the heavily contested Spratly archipelago may appeal particularly to the United States, a staunch, ... «ABC News, Jul 15»

Work continues to save holiday homes on Great Keppel Island after

Great Keppel Island off Rockhampton in central Queensland is slowly bouncing back, almost six months after Cyclone Marcia damaged ... «ABC Online, Jul 15»

It Works founder pays $14.5 million for Little Bokeelia Island

Real estate agent Klaus Lang is asking potential buyers to “present your best offers” on the 104-acre island with a mansion and guest house ... «The News-Press, Jul 15»

Meet the boss: Hamilton Island's Glenn Bourke

Speaking from his office overlooking the Hamilton Island Marina, it's easy to see why the island's chief executive officer, Glenn Bourke, feels the ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Jul 15»

Police receiving international tips in Deer Island 'Baby Doe' case …

As the memorial grows on the edge of Deer Island for the young girl found in a trash bag over three-weeks ago, 5 Investigates has learned the ... «WCVB Boston, Jul 15»

I Heart My Island: Alfred's Curaçao – Intelligent Travel

The Dutch came to Curaçao, a Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela, in 1634. The capital city, Willemstad (above), is know for its colorful ... «National Geographic Traveler Magazine, Jul 15»

A no man's island in Nicaragua - FT.com

From the “lighthouse” (a lookout on the highest point of the island) there are no bloated all-inclusive resorts obstructing the view, nor is the ... «Financial Times, Jul 15»

'We'll depopulate – and very, very quickly the island will be gone'

Members of the island's community met TDs in Dublin this week to defend their school from practical closure – something they see as a ... «thejournal.ie, Jul 15»