Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • A division of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean comprising the islands east of the Philippines and north of the equator. It includes the Caroline, Marshall, Mariana, and Gilbert Islands.
  • Federated States of,An island nation in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. Originally inhabited by Austronesian-speaking peoples, the islands were controlled in turn by Spain, Germany, and Japan prior to their capture by US forces during World War II. The group was administered as part of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands after 1947 and became independent in 1986. Palikir, on Pohnpei (Ponape) Island, is the capital.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun One of the geographical subregions of Oceania.
  • proper noun A country in Oceania. Official name: the Federated States of Micronesia.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the islands in the northwestern part of Oceania
  • noun a country scattered over Micronesia with a constitutional government in free association with the United States; achieved independence in 1986

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek μικρονήσος (Mikronesos, "small island"), from prefix μικρο- (mikro-, "micro-"), from μικρός (mikros, "small, mimimum") + νήσος (nesos, "island").

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Examples

  • The term Micronesia may refer to the Federated States or to the region as a whole.

    WN.com - Financial News 2010

  • The term Micronesia may refer to the Federated States or to the region as a whole.

    WN.com - Financial News 2010

  • But I assure you that after you read about what happened in Micronesia you'll be convinced that behavior can be transmitted from one person to another as easily as the flu or the measles can.

    Interview with Malcolm Gladwell 2010

  • The fact that many state legislators in Micronesia are also food importers was never mentioned — nor were the particulars of auto importation in a tiny country already overrun with cars.

    The War on Fat 2007

  • The fact that many state legislators in Micronesia are also food importers was never mentioned — nor were the particulars of auto importation in a tiny country already overrun with cars.

    The War on Fat 2007

  • (Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, or NIDDM, the kind that afflicts Micronesia, is also known as Type II or adult-onset diabetes; "diabetes" here refers to this type.)

    New World Syndrome 2001

  • The fact that many state legislators in Micronesia are also food importers was never mentioned — nor were the particulars of auto importation in a tiny country already overrun with cars.

    New World Syndrome 2001

  • We spotted a glimmer of progress in Micronesia, though not in the Western-style wellness programs.

    New World Syndrome 2001

  • In Kosrae, an island in Micronesia, new arrivals are a curiosity, and it seemed that half the island had come to greet me and Steven Auerbach, a Manhattan-based medical epidemiologist and an officer in the U.S.

    New World Syndrome 2001

  • Father Francis Hezel, a Jesuit priest from Buffalo, New York, who has spent more than three decades teaching and writing in Micronesia, said that even people in power are reluctant to speak out.

    New World Syndrome 2001

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