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
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Physical Geography - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Oceanwide’s roots stretch back to the Plancius Foundation, a Dutch research program formed in the 1980s that conducted annual expeditions to Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago where Longyearbyen is located.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
The Dutch government said the ship stopped at St Helena on its way to Cape Verde, an archipelago nation off the West African coast.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
The Turkish travel vlogger had boarded the ship in Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 to do a story about one of its stops, Tristan da Cunha, the remote archipelago in the South Atlantic.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
Megan Brief, a digital marketing coordinator for Natural Habitat Adventures, an ecotourism company, had just returned from Svalbard, a far-flung Norwegian archipelago teeming with polar bears and walruses.
From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026
Living on this artificial inland archipelago, native peoples ate a diet heavy in fish, which migrate and spawn in the flooded savannas.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
