Polynesia

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /pÉ’ləˈniːziÉ™/
• US IPA: /ËŒpɑːləˈniːʒə/
• Rhymes: -iːʒə

Origin

From Ancient Greek πολύς (polus, "many") + νῆσος (nēsos, "island"); according to Moon Handbooks Tahiti, "the term Polynesia was coined by Charles de Brosses in 1756 and applied to all the Pacific islands. The present restricted use was proposed by Dumont d'Urville during a famous lecture at the Geographical Society in Paris in 1831."

Proper noun

1. Part of Oceania including Easter Island, Hawaii, New Zealand, and most of the islands between them.

Related terms

• Polynesian