Malayo-Polynesian

American  

[muh-ley-oh-pol-uh-nee-zhuhn, -shuhn] / məˈleɪ oʊˌpɒl əˈni ʒən, -ʃən /

noun

1. Austronesian.

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Malayo-Polynesian British  

noun

1. Also called: Austronesian.  a family of languages extending from Madagascar to the central Pacific, including Malagasy, Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog, and Polynesian See also Austro-Asiatic

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adjective

1. of or relating to this family of languages

Example Sentences

In the interview, McCartney also told Goldberg about his inspiration for writing the Beatles' song "Lady Madonna"—a National Geographic magazine photograph of a Malayo-Polynesian woman surrounded by three small children, one of them nursing.

From National Geographic

It is astonishing how widely this Malayo-Polynesian speech has spread.

From Project Gutenberg

The Indios were the Christianized and more or less cultured populations of all the towns and of the settled agricultural districts, speaking a distinct Malayo-Polynesian language of much more archaic type than the standard Malay.

From Project Gutenberg

The inhabitants of this island are the last outpost of the Malayo-Polynesian race.

From Project Gutenberg

In the lower parts of the archipelago, which are more accessible to the coast, will be found the descendants of an old Malayo-Polynesian race; these are characterized by their primitive industrial life.

From Project Gutenberg