Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “insulate” come from?

Insulate derives from Latin insulatus, the past participle of insulāre meaning "to make into an island," from insula meaning "island," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European seh₂l- meaning "to separate or cut off."

insulate (English): To separate, detach, or isolate; To separate a...

Definitions

  1. To separate, detach, or isolate; To separate a...

Ancestry of “insulate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinĪnsula—
2Proto-Italicenselā—

Words derived from “insulate”

  • insulator
  • insulative
  • reinsulate
  • insulite
  • superinsulate
  • underinsulate
  • superinsulator
Every word from Proto-Italic enselā →