Cay vs. Island

Caynoun

A small, low island largely made of sand or coral.

Caynoun

See Key, a ledge.

Caynoun

a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida

Cay

A cay ( or ), also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans (including in the Caribbean and on the Great Barrier Reef and Belize Barrier Reef).

Islandnoun

A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.

Islandnoun

An entity surrounded by other entities that are very different from itself.

Islandnoun

A superstructure on an aircraft carrier's deck.

Islandnoun

A traffic island.

Islandnoun

(government) An unincorporated area wholly surrounded by one or more incorporated areas.

Islandnoun

(grammar) A phrase from which a wh-word cannot be extracted without yielding invalid grammar.

Islandverb

(transitive) To surround with water; make into an island.

Islandverb

(transitive) To set, dot (as if) with islands.

Islandverb

(transitive) To isolate.

Islandnoun

A tract of land surrounded by water, and smaller than a continent. Cf. Continent.

Islandnoun

Anything regarded as resembling an island; as, an island of ice.

Islandnoun

See Isle, n., 2.

Islandverb

To cause to become or to resemble an island; to make an island or islands of; to isle.

Islandverb

To furnish with an island or with islands; as, to island the deep.

Islandnoun

a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water

Islandnoun

a zone or area resembling an island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of subcontinental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys.