archipelago

[ahr-kuh-pel-uh-goh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR archipelago ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ar·chi·pel·a·gos, ar·chi·pel·a·goes.

a large group or chain of islands: the Malay Archipelago.

any large body of water with many islands.

the Archipelago, the Aegean Sea.

Nearby words

Origin of archipelago

1495–1505; alteration (archi- for arci-) of Italian arcipelago, alteration of Egeopelago the Aegean Sea < Greek Aigaîon pélagos

Related formsar·chi·pe·lag·ic

[ahr-kuh-puh-laj-ik] /ˌɑr kə pəˈlædʒ ɪk/, ar·chi·pe·la·gi·an

[ahr-kuh-puh-ley-jee-uh n, -juh n] /ˌɑr kə pəˈleɪ dʒi ən, -dʒən/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for archipelago

The flight path remained close to the Indonesian archipelago, well within what is the normal reach of air traffic control radar.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The largest of an archipelago of islands, Santorini is the vestige of a single volcanic landmass that erupted around 1600 BC.
Book a Room for Two in a Santorini Cave|Joanna Eede|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Power has withered at the center and devolved to an archipelago of fiefdoms where warlords rule without the burdens of governing.
The Curse of CAR: Warlords, Blood Diamonds, and Dead Elephants|Christopher Day|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There were three Dutch voyages to the Arctic archipelago in the 16th century.
Pale Fire and the Cold War: Redefining Vladimir Nabokov’s Masterpiece|Michael Weiss|October 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It looks out onto a harbor beyond which is this archipelago, in the Breiðafjörður, the great bay beyond.
The Collector: Rebecca Solnit on Textual Pleasure, Punk, and More|Lauren Elkin|July 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In addition to England, Canute possessed important territories elsewhere in the British archipelago.
Canute the Great|Laurence Marcellus Larson
They are very enterprising and industrious, and are the chief traders in the Archipelago.
Mark Seaworth|William H.G. Kingston
It is particularly prevalent in many languages of southeastern Asia and of the Malay archipelago.
Language|Edward Sapir
Bruce hurriedly visited some of the islands of the Archipelago, Syria, and Egypt.
Celebrated Travels and Travellers|Jules Verne
In no outward regard whatsoever do the soldiers on the Continent compare with the soldiers of the British archipelago.
Europe Revised|Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for archipelago

archipelago

noun plural -gos or -goes

a group of islands

a sea studded with islands

Derived Formsarchipelagic (ˌɑːkɪpəˈlædʒɪk) or archipelagian (ˌɑːkɪpəˈleɪdʒɪən), adjective

Word Origin for archipelago

C16 (meaning: the Aegean Sea): from Italian arcipelago, literally: the chief sea (perhaps originally a mistranslation of Greek Aigaion pelagos the Aegean Sea), from archi- + pelago sea, from Latin pelagus, from Greek pelagos

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for archipelago

archipelago

c.1500, from Italian arcipelago "the Aegean Sea" (13c.), from Greek arkhipelagos, from arkhi- "chief" (see archon) + pelagos "sea" (see pelagic). The Aegean Sea being full of island chains, the meaning was extended in Italian to "any sea studded with islands." Klein, noting the absence of arkhipelagos in ancient or Medieval Greek (the modern word in Greek is borrowed from Italian) believe it is an Italian mistake for Aigaion pelagos "Aegean Sea" (Medieval Latin Egeopelagus), or influenced by that name.

Science definitions for archipelago