insulate

English

Etymology

From Latin īnsula (“isle, island”) +‎ -ate (verb-forming suffix) or from Late Latin īnsulātus (“made an island”), see etymology at -ate. First attested in the 16th century; the general verb īnsulō (“insulate”) is attested only in New Latin and postdates the English term, but influence from an otherwise unattested Medieval Latin counterpart cannot be ruled out. Piecewise doublet of isolate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɪnsjʊleɪt/, /ˈɪnʃʊleɪt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɪnsʊleɪt/, /ˈɪnsəleɪt/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): [ˈɪns(j)ʊle(ɪ)t]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: in‧su‧late

Verb

insulate (third-person singular simple present insulates, present participle insulating, simple past and past participle insulated)

1. To separate, detach, or isolate.
2. To separate a body or material from others, e.g. by non-conductors to prevent the transfer of electricity, heat, etc.

   Ceramic can be used to insulate power lines.

   • 2026 September 18, Octavio Peña, “A salmon dish as a last hurrah for summer produce”, in San Francisco Chronicle‎^[1], archived from the original on 23 September 2026:

     Even if you’re not a fan of mayonnaise as a condiment, it plays an important role in cooking the salmon. Mayonnaise insulates the fish from the harsh, direct heat of the broiler to prevent it from drying out.

Synonyms

• isolate

Derived terms

• insulating tape
• insulation
• insulationism
• insulationist
• insulative
• insulator
• reinsulate
• superinsulate
• underinsulate
• uninsulate

Related terms

• insulable
• insular
• insulation
• isolation
• peninsula

Translations

to separate or detach

• Bulgarian: отделям (bg) (otdeljam), изолирам (bg) (izoliram)
• Catalan: aïllar (ca), isolar (ca)
• Esperanto: izoli
• Finnish: eristää (fi)
• French: isoler (fr)
• German: isolieren (de)
• Ido: izolar (io)
• Japanese: 切り離す (ja) (kirihanasu), 隔絶する (ja) (kakuzetsu suru), 孤立させる (ja) (koritsu saseru)
• Māori: ārai
• Polish: izolować (pl)
• Portuguese: isolar (pt)
• Romanian: izola (ro)
• Spanish: aislar (es)
• Swedish: isolera (sv)

to separate in order to prevent a transfer

• Bulgarian: изолирам (bg) (izoliram)
• Catalan: aïllar (ca), isolar (ca)
• Dutch: isoleren (nl)
• Finnish: eristää (fi)
• French: isoler (fr)
• German: isolieren (de)
• Hebrew: בידד / בִּדֵּד (bidéd)
• Japanese: 絶縁する (ja) (zetsuen suru)
• Polish: izolować (pl)
• Portuguese: isolar (pt), insular (pt)
• Romanian: izola (ro)
• Russian: изоли́ровать (ru) impf or pf (izolírovatʹ)
• Spanish: aislar (es)
• Swedish: isolera (sv)

Adjective

insulate (not comparable)

1. Of pollen or spores, with superficial ornamentation grouped in circular or polygonal areas separated by grooves.
   • 1983, Walter H. Lewis, ‎Prathibha Vinay, ‎Vincent E. Zenger, Airborne and Allergenic Pollen of North America, page 239:

     Among nonwinged grains, the sexine is rugulate, insulate, or microverrucate.

   • [2017, Bee Products – Chemical and Biological Properties:

     Pollen insulate when the elements are grouped in circular or polygonal areas separated by grooves.]

Further reading

• “insulate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “insulate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• alunites

Latin

Participle

īnsulāte

1. vocative masculine singular of īnsulātus