isle

[ahyl]

noun

1. a small island.

2. any island.

verb (used with object)

isled, isling 

1. to make into or as if into an isle.

2. to place on or as if on an isle.

isle

/ aɪl /

noun

1. an island, esp a small one: used in literature and (when cap.) in place names

Other Word Forms

• isleless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of isle¹

1250–1300; Middle English i ( s ) le < Old French < Latin īnsula

Word History and Origins

Origin of isle¹

C13: from Old French isle, from Latin insula island

Example Sentences

Shetland Islands Council says it is pushing ahead with plans to build tunnels to four outlying isles in the archipelago including Unst, the most northerly place in the UK.

From BBC

He plays the role of Viking leader Stoick, in the Dean DeBlois-directed story of a conflict between dragons and Vikings on the fictions isle of Berk.

From BBC

Directed by Dean DuBlois, it tells the story of how a human and dragon befriend each other, breaking generations of conflict between dragons and Vikings on the fictional isle of Berk.

From BBC

The very things people in the isles talk about now.

From BBC

Antigua and Barbuda's traditional food is just one aspect of the work under way to preserve the twin isles' distinct features for posterity.

From BBC

Related Words

• archipelago 
• enclave 
• islet 
• peninsula 
• reef