archipelago

noun

ar·​chi·​pel·​a·​go ˌär-kə-ˈpe-lə-ˌgō 

ˌär-chə-

plural archipelagoes or archipelagos

1

: an expanse of water with many scattered islands

2

: a group of islands

3

: something resembling an archipelago

especially : a group or scattering of similar things

an archipelago of small parks within the city

Did you know?

The Greeks called it the Aegean Pelagos and the Italians referred to it as Arcipelago (meaning "chief sea"), but English speakers now call it the Aegean Sea. Numerous islands dot its expanse, and 16th-century English speakers adopted a modified form of its Italian name for any sea with a similar scattering of islands. In time, archipelago came to refer to the groups of islands themselves, and now it is often used figuratively, as in, for example, "an archipelago of high-rise buildings."

Examples of archipelago in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From a tiny island nestled within a Tuscan archipelago, to a quiet Greek haven at the southern tip of the Peloponnese, these are our favourites. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 July 2026

This archipelago is home to the millenary Laurissilva forest, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. — Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

On this day in 1897, during the launch from Dane’s Island, part of the Svalbard archipelago, about 600 miles from their target, the ropes tangled and either fell off or were cut off. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026

Oslo is intermittently concerned that the tiny Russian settlement of Barentsburg on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago might seek to become something bigger. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Archipelago Aegean Sea, from Italian Arcipelago, literally, chief sea, from arci- (from Latin archi-) + Greek pelagos sea — more at plagal

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for archipelago

• duodecimo
• impresario
• pianissimo
• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow

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Kids Definition

archipelago

noun

ar·​chi·​pel·​a·​go ˌär-kə-ˈpel-ə-ˌgō 

ˌär-chə-

plural archipelagoes or archipelagos

: a wide stretch of water with many scattered islands

also : a group of islands