isolate

i-so-late · verb

imported

Definitions

verb

  1. 1.

    To set apart or separate from others; to keep alone or apart.

  2. 2.

    To identify and examine something separately from its context.

  3. 3.

    To prevent a country, organization, or person from having contact with others.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    isolate oneself — deliberately stay away from others
  • •
    isolate a variable — examine one factor while controlling others

Related words

Antonyms: connect, integrate, unite
See also: isolated, isolation, quarantine, separate
Synonyms: quarantine, segregate, separate

Etymology

From Latin insulatus, past participle of insulare ("to make into an island"), from insula ("island"). The term was originally used in chemistry and medicine.