isolement

See also: isolément

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French isolement.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌi.zoː.ləˈmɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: iso‧le‧ment
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

isolement n (plural isolementen)

1. isolation (condition of being isolated, alone)

French

Etymology

From isoler +‎ -ment, first attested in 1701.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i.zɔl.mɑ̃/

• France (Nancy)

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland)

  (file)

Noun

isolement m (plural isolements)

1. isolation (detachment, exclusion)

   isolement social ― social isolation

   Cet état d’isolement lui est pénible.

   This state of isolation is painful for him.

2. (medicine) isolation (separation of a patient)

Usage notes

• isolation nowadays has a connotation of physical isolation or insulation as a form of protection, chiefly of objects.
• isolement nowadays has a connotation of isolation in the sense of exclusion.
• In older texts, the two may be used more interchangeably.

See also

• quarantaine (“quarantine”)

Further reading

• “isolement”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.