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Polynesian

/ˈpɑləˌniʒən/
/pɒlɪˈniʒɪn/
IPA guide

Other forms: Polynesians

Definitions of Polynesian
  1. adjective
    of or relating to Polynesia or its people or culture
  2. noun
    a native or inhabitant of Polynesia
    see moresee less
    types:
    Fijian
    a native or inhabitant of Fiji
    Samoan
    a native or inhabitant of the Samoan Islands
    Tahitian
    a native or inhabitant of Tahiti
    Tongan
    a Polynesian native or inhabitant of Tonga
    type of:
    Austronesian
    a native or inhabitant of Austronesia
  3. noun
    the branch of the Austronesian languages spoken from Madagascar to the central Pacific
    synonyms: Malayo-Polynesian
    see moresee less
    types:
    Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic
    an eastern subfamily of Malayo-Polynesian languages
    Tongan
    the Polynesian language spoken by the Tongan people
    Western Malayo-Polynesian
    a western subfamily of Malayo-Polynesian languages
    Tahitian
    the Oceanic language spoken on Tahiti
    Maori
    the Oceanic language spoken by the Maori in New Zealand
    Hawaiian
    the Oceanic languages spoken on Hawaii
    Fijian
    the Oceanic language spoken on Fiji
    Malay
    a western subfamily of Western Malayo-Polynesian languages
    Filipino, Philippine
    official language of the Philippines; based on Tagalog; draws its lexicon from other Philippine languages
    type of:
    Austronesian, Austronesian language
    the family of languages spoken in Australia and Formosa and Malaysia and Polynesia
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