Lexico Etymology Series: quarantine + isolate
"Quarantena" area in Malta (credit: WellcomeCollection ) quarantine definition: noun “a period of time during which an animal or person that might have a disease is kept away from other people or animals so that the disease cannot spread” verb “to put an animal or person in quarantine” origin: from French – quarantaine (about forty) from Italian – quarantena (quarantine of a ship) / quarantino (forty days) from Old French – quarante (forty) from Italian – quaranta (forty) from Latin – quadraginta (forty) The English word quarantine as we know it today is based on French spelling, with Italian and Latin roots. While the current understanding of the word is defined above, Merriam-webster include an illuminating list of the various meanings of quarantine throughout history, from its current definition “a state of isolation” to the original “a period of forty days”, and including the connecting origin story definition,