— isolator , n.
v. /uy"seuh layt', is"euh-/ ; n. , adj. /uy"seuh lit, -layt', is"euh-/ , v. , isolated, isolating , n. , adj.
v.t.
1. to set or place apart; detach or separate so as to be alone.
2. Med. to keep (an infected person) from contact with noninfected persons; quarantine.
3. Chem. , Bacteriol. to obtain (a substance or microorganism) in an uncombined or pure state.
4. Elect. to insulate.
5. Television. to single out (a person, action, etc.) for a camera closeup.
n.
6. a person, thing, or group that is set apart or isolated, as for purposes of study.
7. Psychol. a person, often shy or lacking in social skills, who avoids the company of others and has no friends within a group.
8. Biol. an inbreeding population that is isolated from similar populations by physiological, behavioral, or geographic barriers.
9. Ling. a language with no demonstrable genetic relationship, as Basque.
10. something that has been isolated, as a by-product in a manufacturing process: an isolate of soy flour.
adj.
11. isolated; alone.
[ 1800-10; back formation from ISOLATED ]