isles

Isles is the plural form of isle, a term for a landmass that is surrounded by water and smaller than a continent. In everyday and scholarly use, “isles” often designates a group or archipelago of islands, or is used poetically to refer to islands within a region. The word comes from Old French isle, from Latin insula, and its English form emerged in the Middle Ages. In modern usage, “isle” can carry a more literary or historical tone than “island,” and both terms appear in place names and historical writing.

Geographically, the plural is used to refer to collections of islands within a larger area. A well-known example is the British Isles, a traditional geographic term for Great Britain, Ireland, and their surrounding islands. The phrase is widely used in history, literature, and tourism, though it can be politically sensitive in certain contexts and some writers prefer alternatives such as “Britain and Ireland” or “the islands of the British Isles.”

The word also appears in the names of specific archipelagos, coastal regions, and municipalities that include “Isles” as part of their designation, such as the Isles of Scilly. Across regions, local usage of “isles” reflects cultural, historical, and linguistic heritage.

Geology and ecology play a central role in the study of isles. Islands form through volcanic activity, tectonic movement, and sedimentation, and many support distinct ecosystems due to isolation. Human activity—navigation, settlement, trade, and resource use—has shaped the history and development of many isles.