isolation
n. uncountablen. the state of being alone or kept apart from others. You might feel this way if you live far from people or if you are sick and cannot leave your room.
n. the state of being separated from others or from a group; the act of separating a substance from a mixture. Often used in medical contexts to describe the physical separation of patients with contagious diseases.
The long winter months can lead to a feeling of isolation.
The doctor recommended strict isolation for the patient to prevent the virus from spreading to the rest of the family.
The researcher's breakthrough came after the successful isolation of the specific protein responsible for the immune response, a process that required months of meticulous laboratory work.
First attested in 1800. From French isolation, from isolé, placed on an island (thus away from other people). Equivalent to isolate + -ion.
Often follows the preposition 'in' ('living in isolation') or is used with 'of' ('the isolation of a virus').