Definitions

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

  • adjective Of or relating to Polynesia or its peoples, languages, or cultures.
  • noun A native or inhabitant of Polynesia.
  • noun A subfamily of the Austronesian language family spoken in Polynesia.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Noting a family of languages having general affinities of form and considerable similarity of vocabulary, spoken throughout Polynesia, except in the western areas included in Melanesia and Micronesia.
  • [lowercase] Full of islands, as an archipelago.
  • Specifically, of or pertaining to Polynesia
  • noun A native or an inhabitant of Polynesia, a division of Oceania east of Australia and Malaysia, or, in the more modern and restricted sense, a division of Oceania east of Micronesia and Melanesia.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to Polynesia (the islands of the eastern and central Pacific), or to the Polynesians.

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

  • adjective Of, from, or pertaining to Polynesia.
  • noun A person from Polynesia.
  • noun A language group spoken by these people.

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

  • adjective of or relating to Polynesia or its people or culture
  • noun a native or inhabitant of Polynesia
  • noun the branch of the Austronesian languages spoken from Madagascar to the central Pacific

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek πολύς (polus, "many") + νήσος (nesos, "island")

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Examples

  • Mr. Marsden in his opinion that the Malayan tongue, though derived from the Sanscrit, the Arabic, the Hindoostani, &c., &c., is based on the language which he calls the Polynesian; a language which may be considered original (as far as we know), and which embraces so vast an extent of geographical surface.

    The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido For the Suppression of Piracy

  • Who is there to protect the gentle, confidin 'Polynesian?

    THE FEATHERS OF THE SUN

  • Nor was this to be so astonishing, when with the knowledge came the certainty that it was from it the language we call Polynesian sprang.

    The Moon Pool

  • In a recent issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, Oxford University's Martin Richards and his colleagues reviewed the geographic distribution of a set of shared genetic traits called the Polynesian motif.

    Pacific Lizards or Red Herrings?

  • Who is there to protect the gentle, confidin 'Polynesian?

    The Feathers of the Sun

  • Who is there to protect the gentle, confidin 'Polynesian?

    The Feathers of the Sun

  • Nor was this to be so astonishing, when with the knowledge came the certainty that it was from it the language we call Polynesian sprang.

    The Moon Pool

  • What some are calling a "Polynesian Pipeline" to this suburb has brought mass and enthusiasm to their championship football team, and with it, the team's beloved new haka tradition.

    Reuters: Press Release

  • They’re the size of sawed-off pool cues, only they’re carved all over in Polynesian Tiki Village designs.

    VDARE.com: Blog Articles » Print » What’s A “Community Organizer”?

  • They’re the size of sawed-off pool cues, only they’re carved all over in Polynesian Tiki Village designs.

    What’s A “Community Organizer”?

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