Austronesian
[ aw-stroh-nee-zhuh n, -shuh n ]
/ ˌɔ stroʊˈni ʒən, -ʃən /
noun
Also called Malayo-Polynesian.
a family of languages spoken in the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Madagascar, and Oceania.
adjective
of or relating to Austronesia or the Austronesian family of languages; Malayo-Polynesian.
Origin of Austronesian
First recorded in 1900–05;
Austronesi(a) +
-an
Example sentences from the Web for austronesian
The Austronesian languages spread from these areas over thousands of miles beyond.
The Civilization of Illiteracy |Mihai Nadin
British Dictionary definitions for austronesian
Austronesian
/ (ˌɒstrəʊˈniːʒən, -ʃən) /
adjective
of or relating to Austronesia, its peoples, or their languages
noun
another name for Malayo-Polynesian