Melanesia
[ mel-uh-nee-zhuh, -shuh ]
/ ˌmɛl əˈni ʒə, -ʃə /
noun
one of the three principal divisions of Oceania, comprising the island groups in the S Pacific NE of Australia.
Example sentences from the Web for melanesia
British Dictionary definitions for melanesia
Melanesia
/ (ˌmɛləˈniːzɪə) /
noun
one of the three divisions of islands in the Pacific (the others being Micronesia and Polynesia); the SW division of Oceania: includes Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Louisiade, Solomon, Santa Cruz, and Loyalty Islands, which all lie northeast of Australia
Word Origin for Melanesia
C19: from Greek
melas black +
nēsos island; with reference to the dark skins of the inhabitants; on the model of
Polynesia