Isolate /(ī"sō̇*lāt [or] īs"ō̇*lāt; 277)/

imp. & p. p. Isolated; p. pr. & vb. n. Isolating

1. 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.

   Short isolated sentences were the mode in which ancient wisdom delighted to convey its precepts.

2. To insulate. See Insulate. (Elec.)
3. 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. (Chem.)
4. To obtain a culture of a microorganism in pure form (from a complex mixture); as, to isolate Eschericia coli from a patient's blood. (Microbiol.)

1. 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.