archipelago
Americannoun
plural
archipelagos, archipelagoes-
a large group or chain of islands.
the Malay Archipelago.
-
any large body of water with many islands.
-
the Archipelago, the Aegean Sea.
noun
-
a group of islands
-
a sea studded with islands
-
A large group of islands.
-
A sea, such as the Aegean, or an area in a sea containing a large number of scattered islands.
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
Explanation
Now here's a word, archipelago, that is super-specific: it means a group of many islands. Wouldn't it be great to build your dream house in the Galapagos archipelago? It seems that archipelago came from the Italian Arciplago, the name for the Aegean Sea, which is full of many many islands. Somehow that became the word for any sea that is chock-full of islands. You can also use archipelago to indicate some other grouping that involves neither islands nor water but is similar to them. Your little sister might create an archipelago of Lego buildings on your living room carpet.
Vocabulary lists containing archipelago
Play by the Rules: Arch
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Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
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Physical Geography - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that Britain hand the archipelago to Mauritius.
From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026
Garin said earlier this week that the archipelago nation also planned to boost the output of its coal-fired power plants to keep electricity costs down as the war wreaks havoc with gas shipments.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
Heavy rains continued to fall on the archipelago in the early hours of Saturday morning.
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026
Aquaventure Waterpark at the high-end Atlantis hotel on Dubai’s Palm, a man-made archipelago, offered complimentary tickets to residents and visitors while other hotels promoted lavish staycation packages with dining and spa options.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
From the southern tip of Kyushu to the northern tip of Hokkaido, the Japanese archipelago is nearly 1,500 miles long.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
