Austronesian

[ aw-stroh-nee-zhuhn, -shuhn ]

noun

1. Also called Malayo-Polynesian. a family of languages spoken in the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Madagascar, and Oceania.

adjective

1. of or relating to Austronesia or the Austronesian family of languages; Malayo-Polynesian.

Austronesian

/ -ʃən; ˌɒstrəʊˈniːʒən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Austronesia, its peoples, or their languages

noun

1. See Malayo-Polynesian
   another name for Malayo-Polynesian

Word History and Origins

Origin of Austronesian¹

First recorded in 1900–05; Austronesi(a) + -an

Example Sentences

The Austronesian languages spread from these areas over thousands of miles beyond.

From Project Gutenberg

All subsequent migrations were of Austronesian-speaking peoples from Indonesia.

From Project Gutenberg