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in·su·lar

(ĭnsə-lər, ĭnsyə-)

adj.

a. Of, relating to, or constituting an island.

b. Living or located on an island.

a. Suggestive of the isolated life of an island: "He is an exceedingly insular man, so deeply private as to seem inaccessible to the scrutiny of a novelist" (Leonard Michaels).

b. Circumscribed and detached in outlook and experience; narrow or provincial.

3. Anatomy Of or relating to isolated tissue or an island of tissue.

[French insulaire, from Late Latin īnsulāris, from Latin īnsula, island.]

insu·lar·ism, in′su·lari·ty (-lărĭ-tē) n.

insu·lar·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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