What is the difference between island and inch?
island | inch |
A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.
* 2002 , Gordon L. Rottman, World War 2 Pacific island guide
An entity surrounded by other entities that are very different from itself.
* 1939 , Deseret News, October 27 1939, Roosevelt Reaffirms American Neutrality
A superstructure on an aircraft carrier's deck.
(chiefly, UK) A traffic island.
To surround with water; make into an island
* 1933 , Harriet Monroe, Poetry: Volume 42
To set, dot (as if) with islands
To isolate
* , (A Shropshire Lad), XXVII, lines 1-2
A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
(meteorology) The amount of water which would cover a surface to the depth of an inch, used as a measurement of rainfall.
The amount of an alcoholic beverage which would fill a glass or bottle to the depth of an inch.
(figuratively) A very short distance.
* Shakespeare
(followed by a preposition) To advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction).
* 1957 , :
*:The window blind had been lowered — Zooey had done all his bathtub reading by the light from the three-bulb overhead fixture—but a fraction of morning light inched under the blind and onto the title page of the manuscript.
* {{quote-news
, year=2012
, date=May 9
, author=John Percy
, title=Birmingham City 2 Blackpool 2 (2-3 on agg): match report
, work=the Telegraph
To drive by inches, or small degrees.
* Dryden
To deal out by inches; to give sparingly.
(Scotland) A small island
* Sir Walter Scott, Rosabelle
As nouns the difference between island and inch
is that island is a contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water while inch is a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.As verbs the difference between island and inch
is that island is to surround with water; make into an island while inch is to advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction).As a proper noun Island
is long Island (in New York State.island
English
Alternative forms
* (l) (nonstandard) * (l), (l), (l) (obsolete)Noun
(en noun)- Sumatra is the second largest island in the East Indies and the fourth largest in the world covering 182,859 square miles.
- an island of tranquility (a calm place surrounded by a noisy environment)
- an island of colour on a butterfly's wing
- King Leopold, speaking in fluent English during his six minute broadcast, said Belgium stood side by side with Holland "an Island of peace in the interests of all"
- the island in the middle of a roundabout
Synonyms
* (land surrounded by water) (l), (l) * (an entity surrounded by other very different entities) oasisDerived terms
* coney island * desert island * floating island * heat island * high island * interisland * islander * island dispenser * island display * island-hop * island position * island state * island universe * islandwide * islandy * low island * no man is an island * safety island * security island * the Island * sea-island * tidal islandVerb
(en verb)- We paused at little river cities along the way and walked upon their bushy dikes, and heard tales of overflows in flood seasons, when four feet or more of water islanded the houses.
- ''High the vanes of (Shrewsbury) gleam
- Islanded in Severn stream''.
Synonyms
* (l)See also
* archipelago * atoll * cay, key * continent * peninsulaStatistics
* 1000 English basic words ----inch
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) (ang) ynce, from (etyl) . Compare ounce.Noun
(es)- "Don't move an inch !"
- Beldame, I think we watched you at an inch .
Derived terms
* every inch * * inch-perfectVerb
(es)- Fearful of falling, he inched along the window ledge.
citation, page= , passage=Already guarding a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Blackpool inched further ahead when Stephen Dobbie scored from an acute angle on the stroke of half-time. The game appeared to be completely beyond Birmingham’s reach three minutes into the second period when Matt Phillips reacted quickly to bundle the ball past Colin Doyle and off a post.}}
- He gets too far into the soldier's grace / And inches out my master.
Derived terms
* inch along * inch forward * inch up * inchwormSee also
* thou * milEtymology 2
From Gaelic (innis)Noun
(es)- The blackening wave is edged with white; / To inch and rock the sea-mews fly.