Quarantine Definition

kwôrən-tēn, kwŏr-

quarantined, quarantines, quarantining

noun

The period, orig. 40 days, during which an arriving vessel suspected of carrying contagious disease is detained in port in strict isolation.

Webster's New World

An action resulting in such a condition.

The government's quarantine of the animals.

American Heritage Medicine

The place where such a vessel is stationed.

Webster's New World

Any isolation or restriction on travel or passage imposed to keep contagious diseases, etc. from spreading.

Webster's New World

An action to isolate another nation, such as a blockade of its ports or a severance of diplomatic or trade relations.

American Heritage

verb

To place under quarantine.

Webster's New World

To isolate politically, commercially, socially, etc.

Webster's New World

To retain in obligatory isolation or separation, as a sanitary measure to prevent the spread of contagious disease.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Quarantine

Singular:

quarantine

Plural:

quarantines

Italian quarantena from Venetian dialectal Italian quarantine of a ship (so called because the length of the quarantine was typically forty days) from Old Italian quarantina period of forty days (such as one designated for fasting or penance) from quaranta forty from Latin quadrāgintā kwetwer- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Italian quarantina (“forty"), from quarantina giorni (“forty days"), the period Venetians customarily kept ships from plague-ridden countries waiting for off port), from quaranta (“forty"), from Latin quadraginta (“forty")

From Wiktionary
Directly from Latin quadraginta (“forty")

From Wiktionary