v.tr. 1 a place apart or alone, cut off from society. b place (a patient thought to be contagious or infectious) in quarantine. 2 a identify and separate for attention (isolated the problem). b Chem. separate (a substance) from a mixture. 3 insulate (electrical apparatus). isolable adj. isolatable adj. isolator n.
[ orig. in past part., f. F isolé f. It. isolato f. LL insulatus f. L insula island ]