isolées

Isolées is the feminine plural form of the French adjective isolée, meaning isolated or set apart. The base masculine singular form is isolé, with isolée as feminine singular, isolés as masculine plural, and isolées as feminine plural. The word derives from the verb isoler, “to isolate,” which in turn comes from the Latin insula meaning island. In French, isolées is used to describe places, populations, or objects that are remote, separated by distance or barriers, or distinct from their surroundings.

Common uses span geography, biology, sociology, and ecology. In geography, phrases like zones isolées or régions isolées refer to areas that are hard to reach or sparsely populated. In biology or ecology, populations isolées describe groups that are separated from others by geographic or reproductive barriers, potentially leading to divergent evolution. In sociology and demography, personnes isolées or communautés isolées describe individuals or groups experiencing social or economic separation from wider society.

The term also appears in everyday language to characterize things that are physically separated or conceptually distinct, such as villages isolés, îles isolées, or structures isolées. While often descriptive, isolées can carry normative connotations depending on context, ranging from practical remoteness to social marginalization. Related terms include isoler (to isolate) and isolation (l’isolement). In use, isolées agrees in gender and number with the nouns they modify.