Melanesian

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

/ ˌmɛl əˈni ʒən, -ʃən /

of or relating to Melanesia, its inhabitants, or their languages.

a member of any of the native peoples inhabiting Melanesia.

the Austronesian languages of Melanesia, taken collectively.

QUIZZES

Let the aeolian gusts transport you back to these popular Words of the Day from the month of May. How many do you remember?

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to travel or journey, especially to walk on foot”?

First recorded in 1840–50; Melanesi(a) + -an

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

It was really a pretty face, viewed by any standard, and for a Melanesian it was a remarkably good-looking face.
South Sea Tales|Jack London
I never have two days together which I can spend exclusively at Melanesian work.
Life of John Coleridge Patteson|Charlotte M. Yonge
A Melanesian takes the offertory bason, and they give or not as they please.
Life of John Coleridge Patteson|Charlotte M. Yonge
Separate groups of buildings, which once were filled with lads from different Melanesian isles—farm buildings, barns, &c.
Life of John Coleridge Patteson|Charlotte M. Yonge

Even superficial observation indicates that the natives range from strongly Melanesian to markedly Polynesian.
A Racial Study of the Fijians|Norman E. Gabel

Melanesian

/ (ˌmɛləˈniːzɪən) /

of or relating to Melanesia, its people, or their languages

a native or inhabitant of Melanesia: generally Negroid with frizzy hair and small stature

a group or branch of languages spoken in Melanesia, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family