is·land (??l?nd)n.1. Abbr. Isl. or Is. or I. A landmass, especially one smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water.2. Something resembling an island, especially in being isolated or surrounded, as:a. An unattached kitchen counter providing easy access from all sides.b. A raised curbed area, often used to delineate rows of parking spaces or lanes of traffic.c. The superstructure of a ship, especially an aircraft carrier.3. Anatomy A cluster of cells differing in structure or function from the cells constituting the surrounding tissue.tr.v. is·land·ed, is·land·ing, is·lands To make into or as if into an island; insulate: a secluded mansion, islanded by shrubbery and fences.[Alteration (influenced by isle) of Middle English ilond, from Old English ?egland : ?g, ?eg; see akw-?- in Indo-European roots + land, land; see lendh- in Indo-European roots.]Word History: It may seem hard to believe, but Latin aqua, “water,” is related to island, which originally meant “watery land.” Aqua comes almost unchanged from Indo-European *akw?-, “water.” *Akw?- became *ahw?- in Germanic by Grimm’s Law and other sound changes. To this was built the adjective *ahwj?-, “watery.” This then became *awwj?- or *auwi-, which in pre-English became *?aj-, and finally ?g or ?eg in Old English. Island, spelled iland, first appears in Old English in King Alfred’s translation of Boethius about ad 888; the spellings igland and ealond appear in contemporary documents. The s in island is due to a mistaken etymology, confusing the etymologically correct English iland with French isle. Isle comes ultimately from Latin ?nsula “island,” a component of paen?nsula, “almost-island,” whence our peninsula.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.island (?a?l?nd) n1. (Physical Geography) a mass of land that is surrounded by water and is smaller than a continent2. (Civil Engineering) See traffic island3. (Anatomy) anatomy a part, structure, or group of cells distinct in constitution from its immediate surroundings. vb (tr) 4. to cause to become an island5. to intersperse with islands6. to place on an island; insulate; isolate[Old English ?gland, from ?g island + land; s inserted through influence of isle] ?island-?like adjCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014is?land (?a? l?nd) n. 1. a tract of land completely surrounded by water and not large enough to be called a continent. 2. something resembling an island, esp. in being isolated. 3. a freestanding unit with a counter or work surface on top, situated in the middle area of a room so as to permit access from all sides. 4. a clump of woodland in a prairie. 5. an isolated hill. 6. an isolated portion of anatomical tissue differing in structure from the surrounding tissue. v.t. 7. to make into an island. 8. to dot with islands. 9. to place on an island; isolate. [before 900; Middle English iland, Old English ?gland, ?land] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.islandPast participle: islandedGerund: islandingImperativePresentPreteritePresent ContinuousPresent PerfectPast ContinuousPast PerfectFutureFuture PerfectFuture ContinuousPresent Perfect ContinuousFuture Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect ContinuousConditionalPast ConditionalImperativeislandislandPresentI islandyou islandhe/she/it islandswe islandyou islandthey islandPreteriteI islandedyou islandedhe/she/it islandedwe islandedyou islandedthey islandedPresent ContinuousI am islandingyou are islandinghe/she/it is islandingwe are islandingyou are islandingthey are islandingPresent PerfectI have islandedyou have islandedhe/she/it has islandedwe have islandedyou have islandedthey have islandedPast ContinuousI was islandingyou were islandinghe/she/it was islandingwe were islandingyou were islandingthey were islandingPast PerfectI had islandedyou had islandedhe/she/it had islandedwe had islandedyou had islandedthey had islandedFutureI will islandyou will islandhe/she/it will islandwe will islandyou will islandthey will islandFuture PerfectI will have islandedyou will have islandedhe/she/it will have islandedwe will have islandedyou will have islandedthey will have islandedFuture ContinuousI will be islandingyou will be islandinghe/she/it will be islandingwe will be islandingyou will be islandingthey will be islandingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been islandingyou have been islandinghe/she/it has been islandingwe have been islandingyou have been islandingthey have been islandingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been islandingyou will have been islandinghe/she/it will have been islandingwe will have been islandingyou will have been islandingthey will have been islandingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been islandingyou had been islandinghe/she/it had been islandingwe had been islandingyou had been islandingthey had been islandingConditionalI would islandyou would islandhe/she/it would islandwe would islandyou would islandthey would islandPast ConditionalI would have islandedyou would have islandedhe/she/it would have islandedwe would have islandedyou would have islandedthey would have islandedCollins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011islandA piece of land completely surrounded by a river, lake, sea, or ocean.Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited