Where does the word island come from?

The word "island" has its roots in Old English and comes from the word "igland". "Igland" itself is a combination of two words:

* "ig" meaning "water" or "sea"

* "land" meaning, well, "land"

So, "igland" literally meant "water-land" or "sea-land". This perfectly captures the essence of an island - a piece of land surrounded by water.

Over time, the spelling evolved to "island" but the meaning remained the same.