archipelago

American  

[ahr-kuh-pel-uh-goh] / ˌɑr kəˈpɛl əˌgoʊ /

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.

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archipelago British  

/ ˌɑːkɪpəˈleɪdʒɪən, ˌɑːkɪˈpɛlɪˌɡəʊ, ˌɑːkɪpəˈlædʒɪk /

noun

1. a group of islands

2. a sea studded with islands

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archipelago Scientific  

/ är′kə-pĕl′ə-gō′ /

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.

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archipelago Cultural  

1. A group of islands near one another.

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Other Word Forms

• archipelagian adjective
• archipelagic adjective

Etymology

Origin of archipelago

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

Example Sentences

With its lush landscape, distinctive "dragon blood" trees, unique animals and turquoise waters, Yemen's Socotra archipelago has been a magnet for adventurous travellers for years.

From Barron's

Hanoi says it has actively ruled over the Paracels and the Spratlys archipelagoes since the 17th Century and that it has the documents to prove it.

From BBC

Maritime accidents occur regularly in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of around 17,000 islands, often due to lax safety standards or bad weather.

From Barron's

Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard archipelago, is internationally known for its exceptionally preserved marine fossils from the early Age of Dinosaurs.

From Science Daily

In November, back-to-back typhoons drove flooding that killed nearly 300 people in the archipelago nation, while a 6.9-magnitude quake in late September toppled buildings and killed 79 people around the city of Cebu.

From Barron's

Related Words

• enclave
• isle
• islet
• peninsula
• reef