isolate

[ahy-suh-leyt, ahy-suh-lit, -leyt]

verb (used with object)

isolated, isolating 

1. to set or place apart; detach or separate so as to be alone.

2. Medicine/Medical.,  to keep (an infected person) from contact with noninfected persons; quarantine.

3. Chemistry, Bacteriology.,  to obtain (a substance or microorganism) in an uncombined or pure state.

4. Electricity.,  to insulate.

5. Television.,  to single out (a person, action, etc.) for a camera closeup.

noun

1. a person, thing, or group that is set apart or isolated, as for purposes of study.

2. Psychology.,  a person, often shy or lacking in social skills, who avoids the company of others and has no friends within a group.

3. Biology.,  an inbreeding population that is isolated from similar populations by physiological, behavioral, or geographic barriers.

4. Also called language isolate. Linguistics.,  a language with no demonstrable genetic relationship, as Basque.

5. something that has been isolated, as a by-product in a manufacturing process.

   an isolate of soy flour.

adjective

1. isolated; alone.

isolate

verb

1. to place apart; cause to be alone

2. med to quarantine (a person or animal) having or suspected of having a contagious disease

3. to obtain (a compound) in an uncombined form

4. to obtain pure cultures of (bacteria, esp those causing a particular disease)

5. electronics to prevent interaction between (circuits, components, etc); insulate

noun

1. an isolated person or group

Other Word Forms

• isolable adjective
• isolator noun
• isolability noun
• reisolate verb (used with object)
• unisolate verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of isolate¹

First recorded in 1800–10; back formation from isolated

Word History and Origins

Origin of isolate¹

C19: back formation from isolated, via Italian from Latin insulātus, literally: made into an island; see _insulate

Example Sentences

For one, it’s isolated from the heart of giant sequoia territory located in the southern Sierra Nevada.

From Los Angeles Times

Many sunscreen brands from all over the world use the same manufacturers and testing labs - and so this issue is unlikely to be isolated to Australia, she adds.

From BBC

Mr Linehan also said he had moved to Arizona, USA, from the UK six months ago after being "isolated" because of his views.

From BBC

To develop a whole-virus vaccine, researchers must first spend months isolating and propagating the virus.

From Salon

In the first weeks of the investigation, search teams scoured an isolated field in Moreno Valley.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• confine 
• detach 
• disconnect 
• disengage 
• divide 
• insulate 
• remove 
• segregate 
• separate 
• sequester