Melanesia

From French Mélanésie (coined by Jules Dumont d'Urville), from Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “dark”) + νῆσος (nêsos, “island”), referring to the skin color of the inhabitants.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌmɛl.əˈniː.zi.ə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌmɛl.əˈni.ʒə/
• (General American) Rhymes: -iːʒə
• Hyphenation: Mel‧a‧ne‧sia

Melanesia

1. A region of Oceania, made up of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji.
   • 2004, Mary N. MacDonald, “Thinking and teaching with the indigenous traditions of Melanesia”, in Beyond primitivism: indigenous religious traditions and modernity, Routledge, →ISBN, page 315:

     My job, then, is that of a cultural and religious broker of sorts, co-opting Melanesia to serve as a stimulus to thought in Le Moyne classrooms.

• Austronesia
• Oceania

• Micronesia
• Polynesia

• Melanie

Melānēsia f sg (genitive Melānēsiae); first declension

1. (New Latin) Melanesia (a region of Oceania)

First-declension noun, with locative, singular only.

From Ancient Greek, see English Melanesia.

Melanesia

1. Melanesia (a region of Oceania)

• melanesisk

From Ancient Greek, see English Melanesia.

Melanesia

1. Melanesia (a region of Oceania)

• melanesisk