Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Isle” come from?

Isle (English) comes from Middle English ile, from Old French ille, from Latin Īnsula, from Proto-Italic enselā.

Ancestry of “Isle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishile—
2Old Frenchille—
3LatinĪnsula—
4Proto-Italicenselā—

Words derived from “Isle”

  • Ilminster
Every word from Proto-Italic enselā →