isolate
isolate Lexical Profile
isolate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To cause a person, place, or thing to be or remain alone or apart from others.
"The hospital staff had to isolate the patient to prevent the infection from spreading."
To identify something and examine or deal with it separately in order to understand its cause or nature.
"The software engineers worked through the night to isolate the source of the system crash."
To obtain or extract a pure chemical compound, gene, or microorganism from a mixture or biological sample.
"Researchers managed to isolate the specific enzyme responsible for breaking down the plastic."
• noun
A substance, microorganism, or cell culture that has been separated in pure form from a mixed source or natural environment for scientific or nutritional use.
"The protein supplement is formulated primarily with whey protein isolate."
A person, group, or language that remains separate and has little or no contact or genetic relationship with others.
"Basque is widely studied by linguists as a famous European language isolate."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 19th century as a back-formation from "isolated," which entered English via French "isolé" from Italian "isolato" (literally "made into an island"), ultimately tracing back to Latin "insula" (island).