Melanesia

[ mel-uh-nee-zhuh, -shuh ]

noun

1. one of the three principal divisions of Oceania, comprising the island groups in the South Pacific northeast of Australia.

Melanesia

/ ˌmɛləˈniːzɪə /

noun

1. one of the three divisions of islands in the Pacific (the others being Micronesia and Polynesia); the SW division of Oceania: includes Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Louisiade, Solomon, Santa Cruz, and Loyalty Islands, which all lie northeast of Australia

Word History and Origins

Origin of Melanesia¹

C19: from Greek melas black + nēsos island; with reference to the dark skins of the inhabitants; on the model of Polynesia

Example Sentences

This instrument is a genuine product of Melanesia, and was doubtless acquired from this region by the Malayan tribes.

From Project Gutenberg

Where the bow and arrow exist, as in Melanesia and America, the arrow-ladder is frequently employed for the celestial journey.

From Project Gutenberg

Why should the bird be found in Polynesia, having skipped all the intermediate islands of Melanesia?

From Project Gutenberg

Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia, are the names by which we know them.

From Project Gutenberg

Precisely the same phenomena meet us, as we are to see, in Melanesia.

From Project Gutenberg