Austronesian

Austronesian [aw-stroh-nee-zhuh n, -shuh n] ExamplesWord Origin noun

1. Also called Malayo-Polynesian. a family of languages spoken in the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Madagascar, and Oceania.

adjective

2. of or relating to Austronesia or the Austronesian family of languages; Malayo-Polynesian.

Origin of Austronesian First recorded in 1900–05; Austronesi(a) + -an Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Examples from the Web for austronesian Historical Examples of austronesian

The Austronesian languages spread from these areas over thousands of miles beyond.

The Civilization of Illiteracy

Mihai Nadin

British Dictionary definitions for austronesian Austronesian adjective

1. of or relating to Austronesia, its peoples, or their languages

noun

2. another name for Malayo-Polynesian

Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012