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Shoal vs Island - What's the difference?

shoal | island |

As nouns the difference between shoal and island

is that shoal is a sandbank or sandbar creating a shallow while island is a contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.

As verbs the difference between shoal and island

is that shoal is to arrive at a shallow (or less deep) area while island is to surround with water; make into an island.

As an adjective shoal

is shallow.

As a proper noun Island is

long Island (in New York State.

shoal

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) schold, scholde, from (etyl) . Compare (shallow).

Alternative forms

* (l) (dialectal) * (l), (l), (l), (l), (l), (l) (Scotland) * (l), (l), (l)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Shallow.
  • shoal water
  • * 1819 , Lord Byron, Don Juan , III.19:
  • But that part of the coast being shoal and bare, / And rough with reefs which ran out many a mile, / His port lay on the other side o' the isle.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A sandbank or sandbar creating a shallow.
  • *
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage='Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.}}
  • * Dryden
  • The god himself with ready trident stands, / And opes the deep, and spreads the moving sands, / Then heaves them off the shoals .
  • A shallow in a body of water.
  • * Mortimer
  • The depth of your pond should be six feet; and on the sides some shoals for the fish to lay their spawn.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Wolsey, that once trod the ways of glory, / And sounded all the depths and shoals of honour.
    Synonyms
    * (sandbank) sandbar, sandbank

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To arrive at a shallow (or less deep) area.
  • To cause a shallowing; to come to a more shallow part of.
  • A ship shoals her water by advancing into that which is less deep. — Marryat.
  • To become shallow.
  • The colour of the water shows where it shoals .

    Etymology 2

    1570, presumably from (etyl) *.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Any large number of persons or things.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • great shoals of people
  • A large number of fish (or other sea creatures) of the same species swimming together.
  • * Waller
  • Beneath, a shoal of silver fishes glides.
    Synonyms
    * (fish) school

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To collect in a shoal; to throng.
  • The fish shoaled about the place.

    Anagrams

    * * * English collective nouns

    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 ----