Austronesian

[aw-stroh-nee-zhuh n, -shuh n]

noun

Also called Malayo-Polynesian. a family of languages spoken in the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Madagascar, and Oceania.

adjective

of or relating to Austronesia or the Austronesian family of languages; Malayo-Polynesian.

Origin of Austronesian

First recorded in 1900–05; Austronesi(a) + -an

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for austronesian

Historical Examples of austronesian

The Austronesian languages spread from these areas over thousands of miles beyond.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin

British Dictionary definitions for austronesian

Austronesian

adjective

of or relating to Austronesia, its peoples, or their languages

noun

another name for Malayo-Polynesian

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