Archipelago
/ˌɑːr.kəˈpɛl.ə.ɡoʊ/noun
A group or chain of islands.
Did you know?The modern meaning is a historical accident: Italians used the Greek name for the Aegean, Aigaion Pelagos, and the phrase was reshaped into “archipelago,” which English then repurposed for any island group.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Aigaion Pelagos
“the Aegean Sea”
Medieval Greek
Greek
arkhipelagos
“the Aegean Sea”
15th Century
Italian
arcipelago
“the Aegean Sea; later any sea with many islands”
16th Century
French
archipel
“the Aegean Sea; an island group”
16th-17th Century
English
archipelago
“an island group, especially one resembling the Aegean”