Polynesia

American  

[pol-uh-nee-zhuh, -shuh] / ˌpɒl əˈni ʒə, -ʃə /

noun

1. one of the three principal divisions of Oceania, comprising those island groups in the Pacific Ocean lying east of Melanesia and Micronesia and extending from the Hawaiian Islands south to New Zealand.

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Polynesia British  

/ -ʒɪə, ˌpɒlɪˈniːʒə /

noun

1. one of the three divisions of islands in the Pacific, the others being Melanesia and Micronesia: includes Samoa, Society, Marquesas, Mangareva, Tuamotu, Cook, and Tubuai Islands, and Tonga

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Polynesia Cultural  

1. Group of islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean, including the islands of the state of Hawaii and the islands of French Polynesia. Tahiti and Samoa are in Polynesia, which means “many islands.”

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Etymology

Origin of Polynesia

C18: via French from _poly- + Greek nēsos island

Example Sentences

When Cross was diagnosed with leukaemia aged 24, she did not immediately blame the nuclear explosions in French Polynesia decades earlier.

From Barron's

A year later, Brichon came across a deal from Regent Seven Seas Cruises advertising a journey to French Polynesia.

From The Wall Street Journal

The team reports that inhabited islands in Western Polynesia, including Samoa and Tonga, experienced drying over time.

From Science Daily

French Polynesia comprises more than 100 islands, including Tahiti.

From Barron's

An ambitious novel of exploration and discovery from the author of “The Orphan Master’s Son” is set, centuries ago, among warring communities in Polynesia.

From The Wall Street Journal