GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Found 2 definitions

1.       
   Isolate , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Isolated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Isolating .] [It. isolato, p. p. of isolare to isolate, fr. isola island, L. insula. See 2d Isle, and cf. Insulate.]
   1913 Webster
   To place in a detached situation; to place by itself or alone; to insulate; to separate from others; as, to isolate an infected person from others; to isolate the troublemakers in a classroom.
   1913 Webster
   +PJC
   Short isolated sentences were the mode in which ancient wisdom delighted to convey its precepts.
   Bp. Warburton.
   
   1913 Webster
   (Elec.) To insulate. See Insulate.
   1913 Webster
   (Chem.) To separate (a substance) from all foreign substances; to make pure; to obtain in a free state; as, to isolate the desired product from a reaction mixture.
   1913 Webster
   +PJC
   (Microbiol.) To obtain a culture of a microorganism in pure form (from a complex mixture); as, to isolate Eschericia coli from a patient's blood.
   PJC
         
       

2.       
   Isolate , n. Something that has been isolated; as, an isolate of a powerful antibiotic from a tropical plant; an isolate of tuberculosis bacillus from an infected patient.
   PJC