Austronesian

adjective

Aus·​tro·​ne·​sian ˌȯ-strə-ˈnē-zhən 

ˌä-,

-shən

: of, relating to, or constituting a family of languages spoken in the area extending from Madagascar eastward through the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago to Hawaii and Easter Island and including practically all the native languages of the Pacific islands with the exception of the Australian and Papuan languages

Examples of Austronesian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other musical devices on stage on Saturday will represent the rich Austronesian history of seafaring, when early islanders took instruments with them in outrigger canoes for the long journey following the currents from Taiwan to the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Micronesia. —The Arizona Republic, 7 Feb. 2024

In late November, experts discovered that Pingtan Island was home to Austronesian people, also called Malayo-Polynesian, around 3,000 to 7,500 years ago. —Stepheny Price, Fox News, 28 Dec. 2023

The language of Madagascar belongs to yet another, non-African category, the Austronesian language family. —Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2023

They are believed to be associated with the diaspora of Austronesian speaking peoples. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 23 Aug. 2023

The Negritos of Malaysia are somewhat different, but note that one of the populations exhibits Austro-Asiatic, but not Austronesian, admixture. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2011

Word History

Etymology

Austronesia, islands of the southern Pacific

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above