isolate
/ˈaɪ.sə.leɪt/ verb, noun, adjective
Forms isolates isolating isolated
- verb (transitive) To set apart or cut off from others.
- verb (transitive) To place in quarantine or isolation.
- verb (transitive, chemistry) To separate a substance in pure form from a mixture.
- verb (transitive) To insulate, or make free of external influence.
- verb (transitive, microbiology) To separate a pure strain of bacteria etc. from a mixed culture.
- verb (transitive) To insulate an electrical component from a source of electricity.
- verb (intransitive) To self-isolate.
- noun Something that has been isolated.
- adjective (literary) isolated.
Synonyms
island enisle quarantine self-quarantine insulate sequester sequestrate keep apart set apart
Etymology
Back-formation from isolated, from French isolé, from Italian isolato, from Latin īnsulātus (whence also insulate), see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To place in a detached situation; to place by itself or alone; to insulate; to separate from others.
- verb To insulate. See Insulate.
Etymology [It. isolato, p. p. of isolare to isolate, fr. isola island, L. insula. See 2d Isle, and cf. Insulate.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “isolate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details