Where does “Polynesia” come from?

Polynesia derives from Ancient Greek πολύς (polús, "many") and nēsos ("island"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁-, meaning "to fill" or "full."

Ancestry of “Polynesia”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchPolynésie—
2Ancient Greekπολύςmany, a lot of; neuter πολύ or πολλά as...
3Ancient Greekπόροςa means of passage, passageway, way, opening;...
4Ancient GreekπείρωI pierce, run through; I cleave through
5Proto-Hellenic*péryō—

Words derived from “Polynesia”

Every word from Proto-Hellenic *péryō →Every word from Ancient Greek πείρω →Every word from Ancient Greek πόρος →