The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.
quarantine
(KWAWR-uhn-teen, KWAHR-uhn-teen) The isolation of people who either have a contagious disease or have been exposed to one, in an attempt to prevent the spread of the disease.
‡ The term is sometimes used politically to designate the political and economic isolation of a nation in retribution for unacceptable policies: “When Iraq invaded Kuwait, it was placed in quarantine by the nations of the world.”
