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Mainland vs Island - What's the difference?

mainland | island |

As nouns the difference between mainland and island

is that mainland is the main landmass of a country or continent while island is a contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.

As a verb island is

to surround with water; make into an island.

As a proper noun Island is

long Island (in New York State.

mainland

English

Noun

(wikipedia mainland) (en noun)
  • The main landmass of a country or continent
  • * 1719:
  • ...I got to the mainland , where, to my great comfort, I clambered up the cliffs of the shore and sat me down upon the grass, free from danger and quite out of the reach of the water.
  • * 2005 : comment
  • You may have not realised when I was using the term mainland Europe, I was excluding the British Isles.

    island

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (l) (nonstandard) * (l), (l), (l) (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.
  • * 2002 , Gordon L. Rottman, World War 2 Pacific island guide
  • Sumatra is the second largest island in the East Indies and the fourth largest in the world covering 182,859 square miles.
  • An entity surrounded by other entities that are very different from itself.
  • an island of tranquility (a calm place surrounded by a noisy environment)
    an island of colour on a butterfly's wing
  • * 1939 , Deseret News, October 27 1939, Roosevelt Reaffirms American Neutrality
  • 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"
  • A superstructure on an aircraft carrier's deck.
  • (chiefly, UK) A traffic island.
  • the island in the middle of a roundabout

    Synonyms

    * (land surrounded by water) (l), (l) * (an entity surrounded by other very different entities) oasis

    Derived 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 island

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To surround with water; make into an island
  • * 1933 , Harriet Monroe, Poetry: Volume 42
  • 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.
  • To set, dot (as if) with islands
  • To isolate
  • * , (A Shropshire Lad), XXVII, lines 1-2
  • ''High the vanes of (Shrewsbury) gleam
    Islanded in Severn stream''.

    Synonyms

    * (l)

    See also

    * archipelago * atoll * cay, key * continent * peninsula

    Statistics

    * 1000 English basic words ----