Melanesian

American  

[mel-uh-nee-zhuhn, -shuhn] / ˌmɛl əˈni ʒən, -ʃən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Melanesia, its inhabitants, or their languages.

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noun

1. a member of any of the Indigenous peoples inhabiting Melanesia.

2. the Austronesian languages of Melanesia, taken collectively.

Melanesian British  

/ ˌmɛləˈniːzɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Melanesia, its people, or their languages

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Melanesia: generally Negroid with frizzy hair and small stature

2. a group or branch of languages spoken in Melanesia, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family

3. See also Neo-Melanesian

Etymology

Origin of Melanesian

First recorded in 1840–50; Melanesi(a) + -an

Example Sentences

The islands, inhabited by its Indigenous Melanesian people since the sixth century B.C., were jointly ruled by Britain and France for nearly 100 years.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2022

Vanuatu has long supported the independence movement in the Indonesian province of West Papua, where much of the population is Melanesian.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2022

In Melanesian culture, a wide-eyed gasping face is a symbol of aggression, not fear.

From Scientific American • Apr. 27, 2022

George Hoa’au, the acting director-general of the Melanesian group, said the French were "not good at anti-colonisation."

From Reuters • Dec. 10, 2021

This means they show fewer departures in either a Melanesian or Polynesian direction.

From A Racial Study of the Fijians by Gabel, Norman E.