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melanesian

 - 3 dictionary results

Mel⋅a⋅ne⋅sian

  [mel-uh-nee-zhuhn, -shuhn]
Use melanesian in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of or pertaining to Melanesia, its inhabitants, or their languages.
–noun
2. a member of any of the native peoples inhabiting Melanesia.
3. the Austronesian languages of Melanesia, taken collectively.
Origin:
1840–50; Melanesi(a) + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To melanesian
Mel·a·ne·sian   (měl'ə-nē'zhən, -shən)   
adj.  Of or relating to Melanesia or its peoples, languages, or cultures.
n.  

  1. A member of any of the indigenous peoples of Melanesia.

  2. A subfamily of the Austronesian languages that includes the languages of Melanesia.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Melanesian 
1849, in ref. to Melanesia, one of three large divisions of Pacific islands, from Gk. melano-, comb. form of melas (gen. melanos) "black" (see melanin) + nesos "island." Modeled after Polynesia and meant to signify "the islands inhabited by blacks."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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