Islay
The southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute council area, Scotland.
Proper noun
- The southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute council area, Scotland.
Origin
Derived from Scottish Gaelic Ìle, but probably ultimately of non-Indo-European (substrate) origin, along with other uncertain names in Scotland such as Skye, Lewis, and Arran. Watson (1926) hinted that a Proto-Brythonic/Proto-Celtic root connected to Gaulish *ilio (“flank, buttock”) or Welsh ilio (“to ferment”) might be behind the name. The silent s in this word, as in island, is due to an unetymological association with isle.