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Austronesia

American  
[aw-stroh-nee-zhuh, -shuh] / ˌɔ stroʊˈni ʒə, -ʃə /

noun

  1. the islands of the central and S Pacific.

Austronesia British  
/ ˌɒstrəʊˈniːʒə, -ʃə /

noun

  1. the islands of the central and S Pacific, including Indonesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Austronesia

austro- + Greek nês ( os ) island + -ia -ia

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.

The telltale evidence is, in effect, breadcrumbs: crops distinctive to Austronesia, sprinkled across Madagascar and neighboring islands.

From Science Magazine • May 30, 2016

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.