island

Where does the word "island" come from? It comes from Old English īegland, and was adopted directly into English (1590s).

Island’s story begins in Old English: īegland meant “island.” Īeg 'island' + land; the old īeg survives in place names such as Sheppey, 'sheep island', in Kent. It reached English by 1590s as island. Middle English spelled it iland, with no s; scholars inserted a silent s in the 1500s, wrongly linking it with 'isle', an unrelated word from Latin insula via French. Today, island means a piece of land surrounded by water.

1. Stage 1 · Old English · medieval īegland "island", īeg 'island' + land; the old īeg survives in place names such as Sheppey, 'sheep island', in Kent.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1590s island "land surrounded by water", Middle English spelled it iland, with no s; scholars inserted a silent s in the 1500s, wrongly linking it with 'isle', an unrelated word from Latin insula via French.