A small islet of calm survived in the noisy office.
The map marked three reefs and one tiny islet near the harbor.
A narrow channel separated the islet from the larger island.
The transplant used donor pancreatic islets rather than a whole pancreas.
Researchers counted the islets visible in the stained tissue.
Similar words
enclave
skerry
pocket
pancreatic
rock
corner
key
endocrine
islet of Langerhans
eyot
Meanings
Very small island
noun
geography
neutral
A small island, usually one much smaller than the nearby or better-known islands around it.
Examples
The boat anchored beside a rocky islet off the coast.
A narrow channel separated the islet from the larger island.
Seabirds nested on the uninhabited islet each spring.
The map marked three reefs and one tiny islet near the harbor.
They paddled around the lake until they reached a wooded islet.
At low tide, the sandbar looked more like an islet.
The lighthouse stood on a bare islet beyond the bay.
Similar words
cay
key
ait
eyot
holm
motu
skerry
rock
Small tissue mass
noun
medical
technical
A small isolated mass of tissue within a different tissue, especially one of the hormone-producing clusters in the pancreas.
Examples
Each pancreatic islet contains hormone-producing cells.
The study measured insulin release from a single islet.
Researchers counted the islets visible in the stained tissue.
An islet of Langerhans is embedded in the pancreas.
Damage to beta cells inside the islet can affect blood sugar.
The transplant used donor pancreatic islets rather than a whole pancreas.
The microscope slide showed a pale islet among darker pancreatic tissue.
Similar words
pancreatic islet
islet of Langerhans
cell cluster
tissue island
Relating to pancreatic islets
adjective
medical
technical
Connected with the small hormone-producing cell clusters of the pancreas.
Examples
Islet cells help regulate blood sugar.
The hospital expanded its islet transplantation program.
Researchers tracked islet function after treatment.
The test looked for islet autoantibodies.
A rare islet cell tumor changed her hormone levels.
Islet biology links endocrinology with diabetes care.
The review compared several islet isolation methods.
Similar words
pancreatic
endocrine
islet-cell
Small isolated pocket
noun
figurative
neutral
A small, separate area or group that stands apart from what surrounds it.
Examples
The garden formed a green islet in the middle of the concrete square.
A small islet of calm survived in the noisy office.
The old library was an islet of silence near the market.
Their language remained an islet inside the larger culture.
The policy created an islet of protection in a harsh system.
A few family shops made an islet of local life among the chains.
The archive became an islet of memory after the town changed.
Similar words
pocket
enclave
oasis
corner
patch
cluster
Etymology
From Middle French islette, a diminutive of isle, ultimately from Latin insula, meaning island.
FAQ
What is an islet?
An islet is a very small island, often much smaller than nearby islands.
Can an islet be in a lake or river?
Yes. An islet can be a small landform in the sea, a lake, a river, or another body of water.
What is a pancreatic islet?
A pancreatic islet is a small cluster of hormone-producing cells in the pancreas.
What are islets of Langerhans?
Islets of Langerhans are pancreatic islets that contain endocrine cells involved in blood sugar regulation.
Is islet related to island?
Islet comes through French from isle, which ultimately traces to Latin insula. It means a small isle or island.
How is islet pronounced?
Islet is pronounced /ˈaɪlət/, with a silent s.
Can islet be figurative?
Yes. It can describe a tiny isolated pocket, such as an islet of calm in a noisy place.
Comments & contributions
Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
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Wandering Elk
Jul 5
en español me sale islote right away, this one was finally easy
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Contribution
Solar Loon
Jul 4
med note: an islet cell is not automatically a beta cell. Alpha cells in the islet make glucagon, beta cells make insulin, delta cells make somatostatin, so "islets = insulin" is a bit too neat for exams.
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Dashing Peacock
Jun 21
Small but above water is the idea. If it only appears at low tide, a chart or local guide may call it a rock, reef, skerry, or tidal island instead. islet by itself does not promise you can get out and walk around
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Quick Frog
Jun 18
For British river names, ait/eyot is the little cousin here. You see it on the Thames, Chiswick Eyot and so on, and eyot is said like eight. I wouldnt use it in normal travel writing unless the place really has that local name.