Austroasiatic

[ aw-stroh-ey-zhee-at-ik, -shee- ]

noun

1. a family of languages spoken in SE Asia and the landsaround the Bay of Bengal and consisting principally of Vietnamese, Khmer, Mon, Khasi, Nicobarese, and the Munda languages.

adjective

1. of or relating to Austroasiatic.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Austroasiatic¹

First recorded in 1920–25; austro- + Asiatic