1a piece of land surrounded by water:the island of Crete [as modifier]:this island nation
2a thing regarded as resembling an island, especially in being isolated, detached, or surrounded in some way:the university is the last island of democracy in this country
a traffic island.
a free-standing kitchen unit with a worktop, allowing access from all sides.
3 Anatomy a detached portion of tissue or group of cells.Compare with islet.
Origin:
Old Englishīegland, from īeg 'island' (from a base meaning 'watery, watered') + land. The change in the spelling of the first syllable in the 16th century was due to association with the unrelated word isle
