|
| quar·an·tine [ kwáwrən tn ] |
noun |
|
| Definition: |
| |
1. isolation because of disease: enforced isolation of people or animals that may have been exposed to a contagious or infectious disease, e.g. when entering a country
|
2. place of isolation: a place in which people or animals spend a period of isolation to prevent the spread of disease
|
3. time of isolation: the period of time during which people or animals are kept in isolation to prevent the spread of disease
|
4. condition or period of isolation: enforced isolation, e.g. for social or political reasons, or a period of such isolation
|
transitive verb (past and past participle quar·an·tined, present participle quar·an·tin·ing, 3rd person present singular quar·an·tines) |
|
| Definition: |
| |
1. isolate somebody: to isolate a person or animal that may have been exposed to a contagious or infectious disease in order to prevent the possible spread of that disease
|
2. detain somebody: to isolate or detain somebody, e.g. for social or political reasons
|
| [Early 17th century. Via Italian quarantina< Latin quadraginta "forty"; because ships suspected of carrying disease were refused entrance to port for 40 days] |
|
|
|
