Austronesian

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

/ ˌɔ stroʊˈni ʒən, -ʃən /

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

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

British Dictionary definitions for austronesian

Austronesian

/ (ˌɒstrəʊˈniːʒən, -ʃən) /

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