Micronesian

[mahy-kruh-nee-zhuhn, -shuhn]

adjective

1. of or relating to Micronesia, its inhabitants, or their languages.

noun

1. a native of Micronesia.

2. the Malayo-Polynesian languages of Micronesia, taken collectively.

Micronesian

/ ˌmaɪkrəʊˈniːzɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Micronesia, its inhabitants, or their languages

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Micronesia, more akin to the Polynesians than the Melanesians, but having Mongoloid traces

2. a group of languages spoken in Micronesia, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family

Word History and Origins

Origin of Micronesian¹

Micronesi(a) + -an

Example Sentences

The agency left no stone unturned: It even declared that children of Micronesian parents fall under the order, even though Micronesians have every right to live and work in the U.S. under a 1986 treaty.

Read more on Slate

An Australian military helicopter crew landed and gave them food and water before a Micronesian patrol vessel could pick them up.

Read more on Seattle Times

In 2020, three Micronesian mariners were saved - by the Australian Defence Force - after spelling out "SOS" on the beach.

Read more on BBC

The Micronesian island was part of a search area that the Coast Guard said spanned more than 100,000 square miles.

Read more on New York Times

A similar rescue also took place in Micronesian waters in 2016 when three men whose boat was overturned swam two miles to reach a tiny island, on which they wrote “HELP” in the sand.

Read more on New York Times