Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • A division of Oceania including scattered islands of the central and southern Pacific Ocean roughly between New Zealand, Hawaii, and Easter Island. The larger islands are volcanic, the smaller ones generally coral formations.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun Part of Oceania including Easter Island, Hawaii, New Zealand, and most of the islands between them.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the islands in the eastern part of Oceania

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek πολύς (polus, "many") + νῆσος (nēsos, "island"); according to Moon Handbooks Tahiti, "the term Polynesia was coined by Charles de Brosses in 1756 and applied to all the Pacific islands. The present restricted use was proposed by Dumont d'Urville during a famous lecture at the Geographical Society in Paris in 1831."

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Examples

  • If you're on Twitter you can follow the Polynesia Cultural Center @Polynesia

    808Talk Hawaii ハワイブログ 2009

  • Sorry Janey, the capital of Polynesia is still Auckland.

    Cheeseburger Gothic » A Sweet Jane alt-hist challenge! 2010

  • Polynesia is the source of body ornimantation/tatooes as well.

    Your Right Hand Thief 2008

  • Diamond studies four ancient societies across space and time: Easter Island in Polynesia, the native American Anasazi tribe in what is now the southwestern United States, the Maya civilization in Central America, and the isolated Viking settlement on the coast of Greenland.

    Jared Diamond's "Collapse" Steve Sailer 2004

  • Diamond studies four ancient societies across space and time: Easter Island in Polynesia, the native American Anasazi tribe in what is now the southwestern United States, the Maya civilization in Central America, and the isolated Viking settlement on the coast of Greenland.

    Archive 2004-12-26 Steve Sailer 2004

  • (Easter Island, in Polynesia, was then supporting a population of at least 7,000 with roughly the same land mass and a less hospitable climate.)

    New World Syndrome 2001

  • (Easter Island, in Polynesia, was then supporting a population of at least 7,000 with roughly the same land mass and a less hospitable climate.)

    New World Syndrome 2001

  • Polynesia gave the short word of command; and like one bird those millions of parrots opened their red beaks and let out once more their terrifying battle-scream.

    The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle Hugh Lofting 1916

  • Notwithstanding the historical truths, that although the gospel has been preached in Polynesia for a century or more, and that there is no other nation which has made such rapid progress in civilization and Christianity, yet Mr. Foster had the assurance to stand up in Washington, and revile all the native Hawaiian sovereigns.

    Hawaii's Story, by Hawaii's Queen 1898

  • Gemological Institute of America Salvador Assael Although he dealt in all sorts of luxury jewelry, Mr. Assael was sometimes called "The Pearl King" for his near-monopoly on gumball-size black pearls he cultured on a private atoll on the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia.

    Cultured by Luxury Jeweler, Black Pearls Became Chic Stephen Miller 2011

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