Marquesan
Americannoun
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a Polynesian native of the Marquesas Islands.
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the Polynesian language of the Marquesas Islands.
adjective
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of Marquesan
First recorded in 1790–1800; Marques(as Islands) + -an
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.
Tattoo historian Steve Gilbert explains that the word "tattoo" itself is a combination of Marquesan and Samoan words – tatau and tatu – to describe these practices.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2021
The accompanying illustrations, uniformly delightful, include a juxtaposition of the patterns of traditional Marquesan tattoos with those of late-Victorian hosiery.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 11, 2019
The whole body of Marquesan poetry and music was being suffered to die out with a single dispirited generation.
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 18 (of 25) by Robert Louis Stevenson
The great majority of Polynesians are excellently mannered; but the Marquesan stands apart, annoying and attractive, wild, shy, and refined.
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 18 (of 25) by Robert Louis Stevenson
Note.—We possess no thorough account of the native Marquesan society and religion as these existed before they were transformed by European influence.
From The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead Vol. II by Sir James George Frazer
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.
