archipelago

[ahr-kuh-pel-uh-goh]

noun

plural

archipelagos, archipelagoes 

1. a large group or chain of islands.

   the Malay Archipelago.

2. any large body of water with many islands.

3. the Archipelago, the Aegean Sea.

archipelago

/ ˌɑːkɪpəˈleɪdʒɪən, ˌɑːkɪˈpɛlɪˌɡəʊ, ˌɑːkɪpəˈlædʒɪk /

noun

1. a group of islands

2. a sea studded with islands

archipelago

1. A large group of islands.

2. A sea, such as the Aegean, or an area in a sea containing a large number of scattered islands.

archipelago

1. A group of islands near one another.

Other Word Forms

• archipelagic adjective
• archipelagian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of archipelago¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of archipelago¹

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

Example Sentences

Working under the terms of the Compact, the US is now strengthening its own military footprint in the archipelago.

Read more on BBC

China is the biggest source of tourists to the archipelago, with almost 7.5 million visitors in the first nine months of 2025 -- a quarter of all foreign tourists, according to official Japanese figures.

Read more on Barron's

It’s as if Japan is an archipelago of lost souls.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

On Friday, the archipelago's foreign ministry said joint training drills with the US Marine Corps 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit will run from Sunday to November 21.

Read more on Barron's

Officials say the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago Tenerife belongs to, are on alert for coastal hazards.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• enclave 
• isle 
• islet 
• peninsula 
• reef