islet

noun

is·​let ˈī-lət How to pronounce islet (audio)
1
: a little island
2

Examples of islet in a Sentence

landed the boat on a tiny islet that we had all to ourselves
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As a result Provo and its neighboring islets are growing, with new districts of multi-million-dollar for-sale villas, splashy rentals and new five-star guest rooms. Michelle Gross, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2024 While the book is fiction, it’s drawn from Jansson’s many summers spent on the rocky, outer-archipelago islet of Klovharu with her niece, in a modest cottage the author built with her brother in 1964. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024 Cat Co 3 is a curve of fine sand and clear, calm water, overlooking one of the limestone islets of Lan Ha Bay. David Escribano, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2024 In the new study, the researchers transplanted grafts of living human pancreatic islets (cell clusters containing beta cells) into the kidneys of diabetic and nondiabetic mice. Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 29 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for islet 

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of islet was in 1538

Dictionary Entries Near islet

Cite this Entry

“Islet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/islet. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

islet

noun
is·​let ˈī-lət How to pronounce islet (audio)
1
: a little island
2

Medical Definition

islet

noun
is·​let ˈī-lət How to pronounce islet (audio)
: a small isolated mass of one type of tissue within a different type
specifically : islet of langerhans

More from Merriam-Webster on islet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!