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

The archipelago nation has made up for that in the last decade or so with a near-constant stream of new eye-catching resorts and what may arguably be the world’s best hospitality. — Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 16 July 2026

Havelock Island is the main island of the archipelago, and has a rustic, Costa Rica-meets-Maldives feel. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026

For starters, the 1982 Falklands War was fought over the tiny archipelago, a British territory located a few hundred miles from the Argentina coast. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026

For over 70 years, Fiji Airways has served as Fiji’s national airline, connecting the South Pacific archipelago of more than 300 islands with destinations near and far. — Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 14 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