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.
A couple of significant breakthroughs available include islet autotransplantation and artificial pancreas. Qin Rao, Verywell Health, 8 Jan. 2025 The team injected the equivalent of 1.5 million islets into the patient’s abdomen, rather than her liver, where islet transplants are usually injected, per Nature News. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2024 The setting is marked by jagged islets, vivid blue waters, and a winding pier stretching into the horizon. Jennifer Lee, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 Lying 27 miles to the north, this dozy islet fringed by luminous powder-soft pink sand and is home to stunning beaches, caves, and exotic birds. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 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 22 Jan. 2025.

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

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