Etymology Explorer › English

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”

  • Polynesian
  • Proto-Polynesian
  • 玻里尼西亞
  • 波利尼西亞
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *péryō →