Where does “polynesian” come from?
polynesian (English) comes from English Polynesia, from French Polynésie, from Ancient Greek πολύς, from Ancient Greek πόρος, from Ancient Greek πείρω, from Proto-Hellenic *péryō.
Ancestry of “polynesian”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Polynesia | — |
| 2 | French | Polynésie | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πολύς | many, a lot of; neuter πολύ or πολλά as... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πόρος | a means of passage, passageway, way, opening;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πείρω | I pierce, run through; I cleave through |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | *péryō | — |