Webster's English Dictionary

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island

1. is.land \'i--l*nd\ n [alter. of earlier -iland, fr. ME, fr. OE i-gland; 
   akin to ON eylan]d island; both fr. a prehistoric NGmc-WGmc compound whose 
   first constituent is represented by OE i-g island (akin to OE e-a river, L 
   aqua water) and whose second constituent is represented by OE land 1: a 
   tract of land surrounded by water and smaller than a continent  2: 
   something resembling an island in isolation  3a: SAFETY ISLAND  3b: SAFETY 
   ZONE  4: a superstructure on the deck of an aircraft carrier or other ship  
   5: an isolated group or area; specif : an isolated ethnological gro up
2. island vt 1a: to make into or as if into an island  1b: to dot with or 
   as if with islands  2: ISOLATE