quarantine

noun quar·an·tine \ ˈkwȯr-ən-ˌtēn , ˈkwär- \

Definition of quarantine

1 :a period of 40 days

2 a :a term during which a ship arriving in port and suspected of carrying contagious disease is held in isolation from the shore

b :a regulation placing a ship in quarantine

c :a place where a ship is detained during quarantine

3 a :a restraint upon the activities or communication of persons or the transport of goods designed to prevent the spread of disease or pests

b :a place in which those under quarantine are kept

4 :a state of enforced isolation

See quarantine defined for English-language learners

See quarantine defined for kids

Examples of quarantine in a Sentence

The infected people were put into quarantine.
The cows will be kept in quarantine for another week.
The dog was put under quarantine.

Recent Examples of quarantine from the Web

The dog is current on its vaccines, and the owner was advised of the quarantine process.

— Washington Post, "Fairfax County Animal Watch," 15 Aug. 2017
Last month, Hong Kong officials announced plans for a new high-speed rail station that will lease an area to mainland customs, immigration and quarantine officers who will be able to enforce mainland Chinese law.

— austin ramzy and alan wong, New York Times, "Hong Kong Activist Says Chinese Agents Stapled His Legs Over Messi Photo," 11 Aug. 2017
No, Smart staffers did not make the early blanket that was knit at a Boy Scout summer camp spend extra time in this frigid quarantine.

— steve johnson, chicagotribune.com, "P*hat founder asks knitters to make 'Welcome Blankets' for immigrants," 9 Aug. 2017
The IAAF, track and field's governing body, enforced a quarantine period because Makwala reported vomiting on Monday.

— chris chavez, SI.com, "Isaac Makwala Quarantined Due To Illness Then Qualifies For 200m Final In 48 Hours," 9 Aug. 2017
Three people are under quarantine Saturday morning following a hazardous material spill on the Saint Raphael campus of Yale New Haven Hospital.

— daniela altimari, courant.com, "Crews on the Scene of New Haven Hazardous Material Spill," 15 July 2017
European governments had implemented public health measures since the 14th century, when the Italian city-states took measures to control the spread of bubonic plague through quarantines.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Bismarck Tried to End Socialism’s Grip—By Offering Government Healthcare," 15 July 2017
The quarantine expansion includes 576-acres in parts of the East Fork Wildlife Area, according to Public Information Officer Brett Gates of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

— kimberly armstrong, Cincinnati.com, "ODA expands invasive Asian longhorn beetle quarantine into East Fork Wildlife Area," 10 July 2017
Once his quarantine and acclimation period is complete, Baridi will join 20-year-old Malaika in the giraffe yard outside.

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "Young giraffe makes a new home in Louisville," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quarantine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of quarantine

partly modification of French quarantaine, from Old French, from quarante forty, from Latin quadraginta, from quadra- (akin to quattuor four) + -ginta (akin to viginti twenty); partly modification of Italian quarantena quarantine of a ship, from quaranta forty, from Latin quadraginta — more at four, vigesimal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1617

See Words from the same year

Other Number-Related Terms

jubilee, myriad, score, twain

quarantine

verb

Definition of quarantine

quarantined; quarantining

transitive verb

1 :to detain in or exclude by quarantine

2 :to isolate from normal relations or communication

quarantine an aggressor

intransitive verb

:to establish or declare a quarantine

See quarantine defined for English-language learners

Examples of quarantine in a Sentence

The hospital quarantined the infected patients.
The dog was immediately quarantined.

Recent Examples of quarantine from the Web

If they are diagnosed with active tuberculosis, the county follows a protocol to quarantine and medicate them.

— kate morrissey, sandiegouniontribune.com, "UCSD researcher says Breitbart misused his study on refugees and TB," 16 Aug. 2017
While covering climate change in the Marshall Islands, she was quarantined and tested for exposure to radiation.

— samantha schmidt, chicagotribune.com, "Journalist mysteriously vanishes aboard submarine, man arrested after vessel sinks," 14 Aug. 2017
More: Bears are a pain for beekeepers; here’s how to keep them out So far, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has called for public alerts and quarantining wood, but no solutions have been forthcoming.

— lydia lohrer, Detroit Free Press, "How a beetle can protect hemlock trees from Great Lakes invader HWA," 5 Aug. 2017
Is the answer to quarantine him in a penal colony for the rest of his life?

— vahe gregorian, kansascity, "Michael Vick’s past remains appalling but shouldn’t disqualify him from coaching," 26 July 2017
D candidate epidemiology of microbial diseases department at Yale, was quarantined during the height of an Ebola scare.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "What Breed Is Your Dog? Test Its DNA to Find Out," 18 July 2017
Particularly in our current, highly partisan age, one of the great benefits of localism is its tendency to quarantine disputes.

— max bloom, National Review, "Let Liberal Cities Do What They Want," 13 July 2017
The isolation room will allow shelter staff the ability to quarantine and treat cats with upper respiratory infection.

— melissa reinert, Cincinnati.com, "NKY roundup: Shelter grant, a new name, financial reward," 29 June 2017
The first email was spotted by a company computer scientist who recognized it as suspicious, and the emails were quarantined and never opened by anybody at the company, Martin said.

— mike schneider, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Florida voter-registration firm denies it got hacked," 19 June 2017

First Known Use of quarantine

1801

QUARANTINE Defined for English Language Learners

quarantine

noun

Definition of quarantine for English Language Learners

: the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading
: the situation of being kept away from others to prevent a disease from spreading

quarantine

verb

Definition of quarantine for English Language Learners

: to keep (a person or animal) away from others to prevent a disease from spreading : to put or keep (a person or animal) in quarantine

QUARANTINE Defined for Kids

quarantine

noun quar·an·tine \ ˈkwȯr-ən-ˌtēn \

Definition of quarantine for Students

1 :isolation of people, animals, or things (as plants) out of a certain area to prevent the spread of disease or pests

2 :a period during which a person or animal with a contagious disease is isolated

3 :a place (as a hospital) where a person or animal with a contagious disease is isolated

History for quarantine

Centuries ago people in Europe did not have a good understanding of infectious diseases. But experience taught them that when ships arrived in port and brought strangers, illness would sometimes follow. In Venice, a port in Italy, the practice developed of holding a ship in the harbor for forty days if the passengers were suspected of carrying disease, especially plague. If no one developed signs of illness, the passengers were let ashore. The word for this period of forty days was in Italian quarantena, a derivative of quaranta, “forty,” and it is a source of the English word quarantine.

quarantine

verb

Definition of quarantine for Students

quarantined; quarantining

:to put or hold in isolation to prevent the spread of disease or pests The infected patient was quarantined.

Medical Dictionary

quarantine

noun quar·an·tine \ ˈkwȯr-ən-ˌtēn, ˈkwär- \

medical Definition of quarantine

1 a :a term during which a ship arriving in port and suspected of carrying contagious disease is held in isolation from the shore

b :a regulation placing a ship in quarantine

c :a place where a ship is detained during quarantine

2 a :a restraint upon the activities or communication of persons or the transport of goods that is designed to prevent the spread of disease or pests

b :a place in which those under quarantine are kept

quarantine

verb

medical Definition of quarantine

quarantined; quarantining

transitive verb

:to detain in or exclude by quarantine

intransitive verb

:to establish or declare a quarantine

Learn More about quarantine

See words that rhyme with quarantine Spanish Central: Translation of quarantine Nglish: Translation of quarantine for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of quarantine for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about quarantine

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quarantine

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QUARANTINE Defined for English Language Learners

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quarantine

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Medical Dictionary

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quarantine

medical Definition of quarantine

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