Melanesia

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. A continental region of Oceania, consisting of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji.

Pronunciation

/ˌmɛl.əˈniː.zi.ə/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Melanesia.wav /ˌmɛl.əˈni.ʒə/

Word forms

Melanesia

Etymology

From French Mélanésie (coined by Jules Dumont d'Urville), from Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “dark”) + νῆσος (nêsos, “island”), referring to the skin color of the inhabitants.

Related words

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