Austronesian
/ˌɔːstrəˈniːʒən/noun
Relating to the language family and peoples spread across Island Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Madagascar.
Did you know?The term was coined in modern scholarship from Greek roots, but it labels one of the world’s greatest migration networks, stretching from Madagascar to Easter Island.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
nēsos
“island”
Ancient Greek
Greek
notos
“south wind; south”
Latin
Latin
auster
“the south wind; the southern sky”
19th Century
English
Austronesian
“a scholarly term for the language family of the southern islands”
Modern English
English
Austronesian
“relating to the Austronesian peoples or languages”