insulate
Definitions
To cover or surround something with material that stops heat, electricity, or sound from passing through
使绝缘；隔热；隔音
To protect someone or something from unpleasant or harmful influences by keeping them apart
使隔离，使免受（不良影响）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedinsul (island) + -ate (to make) = 'to make into an island.' To insulate something is to cut it off from its surroundings the way water cuts off an island — so heat, electricity, or sound can't cross. The same image gives the figurative sense: insulate someone from bad news = wall them off, like an island.
Root insul still carries 7 more wordsUsage Guide
- Technical (heat/electricity/sound): insulate a wall, insulate a cable — the core, concrete meaning.
- Figurative (protect): insulate X from Y — almost always followed by 'from' + a negative thing (shocks, criticism, reality).
- Note the noun is insulation (the material/act); the device is an insulator. Don't confuse insulate (verb) with isolate (verb): insulate = wrap/protect; isolate = set apart, often for study or quarantine.
Example Sentences
- 1.
Thick foam was used to insulate the attic and cut heating bills.
- 2.
Rubber sleeves insulate the wires so no current can leak out.
- 3.
Wealth had insulated her from the everyday worries most people face.
- 4.
The reserves are meant to insulate the economy from sudden shocks.
Easily Confused
insulate vs isolate — Both come from the Latin word for 'island,' but they split. insulate = wrap/cover to block heat, electricity, or harm (insulate a roof, insulate from shocks). isolate = set physically or socially apart (isolate a patient, isolate a variable). Quick test: blocking transfer → insulate; separating to study or quarantine → isolate.