Isolate

Pronunciation

Origin

Back-formation from {{3}}, from French isolé, from Italian insolato, from Latin insulatus (cognate with insulate).

Full definition of isolate

Verb

1. (transitive) To set apart or cut off from others.
2. (transitive) To place in quarantine or isolation.
3. (chemistry)(transitive, chemistry) To separate a substance in pure form from a mixture.
4. (transitive) To insulate, or make free of external influence.
• 2014-06-14, It's a gas, One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination.
5. (transitive, microbiology) To separate a pure strain of bacteria etc. from a mixed culture.
6. (transitive) To insulate an electrical component from a source of electricity.

Noun

1. Something that has been isolated.

Related terms

• insular
• insulate
• insulator
• insulation
• isolatable
• isolated
• isolating
• isolation
• isolationism
• isolative
• isolator

Anagrams

• aeolist, et alios