insulate

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: in=su=late

CIDE DICTIONARY

insulate, v. t. [L. insulatus insulated, fr. insula island. See Isle, and cf. Isolate.].

•  To make an island of.  Pennant.  [1913 Webster]
•  To place in a detached situation, or in a state having no communication with surrounding objects; to isolate; to separate.  [1913 Webster]
•  To prevent the transfer of electricity or heat to or from (bodies) by the interposition of nonconductors.  [1913 Webster]

Insulating stool (Elec.), a stool with legs of glass or some other nonconductor of electricity, used for insulating a person or any object placed upon it.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

insulate, v.tr.
1 prevent the passage of electricity, heat, or sound from (a thing, room, etc.) by interposing non-conductors.
2 detach (a person or thing) from its surroundings; isolate.
3 archaic make (land) into an island.

Idiom

insulating tape an adhesive tape used to cover exposed electrical wires etc.

Derivative

insulation n.

Etymology

L insula island + -ATE(3)

THESAURUS

insulate

bolt, close off, cordon, cordon off, cover, cull out, cushion, cut off, detach, divide, enisle, fireproof, ghettoize, gin, ground, island, island-hop, isolate, keep apart, keep aside, lag, lay aside, pick out, preserve, proof, protect, put aside, quarantine, riddle, screen, seclude, segregate, separate, sequester, sequestrate, set apart, set aside, shelter, shield, sieve, sift, sort out, soundproof, thrash, thresh, waterproof, weatherproof, winnow, wrap

ROGET THESAURUS

insulate

Disjunction

VB be disjoined, come off, fall off, come to pieces, fall to pieces, peel off, get loose, disjoin, disconnect, disengage, disunite, dissociate, dispair, divorce, part, dispart, detach, separate, cut off, rescind, segregate, set apart, keep apart, insulate, isolate, throw out of gear, cut adrift, loose, unloose, undo, unbind, unchain, unlock, unpack, unravel, disentangle, set free, sunder, divide, subdivide, sever, dissever, abscind, circumcise, cut, incide, incise, saw, snip, nib, nip, cleave, rive, rend, slit, split, splinter, chip, crack, snap, break, tear, burst, rend, rend asunder, rend in twain, wrench, rupture, shatter, shiver, cranch, crunch, craunch, chop, cut up, rip up, hack, hew, slash, whittle, haggle, hackle, discind, lacerate, scamble, mangle, gash, hash, slice, cut up, carve, dissect, anatomize, dislimb, take to pieces, pull to pieces, pick to pieces, tear to pieces, tear to tatters, tear piecemeal, tear limb from limb, divellicate, skin, disintegrate, dismember, disbranch, disband, disperse, dislocate, disjoint, break up, mince, comminute, apportion, part, part company, separate, leave.