Micronesian

[ mahy-kruh-nee-zhuhn, -shuhn ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Micronesia, its inhabitants, or their languages.

noun

1. a native of Micronesia.
2. the Malayo-Polynesian languages of Micronesia, taken collectively.

Micronesian

/ ˌmaɪkrəʊˈniːzɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Micronesia, its inhabitants, or their languages

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Micronesia, more akin to the Polynesians than the Melanesians, but having Mongoloid traces
2. a group of languages spoken in Micronesia, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family

Word History and Origins

Origin of Micronesian¹

Micronesi(a) + -an

Example Sentences

An Australian military helicopter crew landed and gave them food and water before a Micronesian patrol vessel could pick them up.

From Seattle Times

In 2020, three Micronesian mariners were saved - by the Australian Defence Force - after spelling out "SOS" on the beach.

From BBC

The Micronesian island was part of a search area that the Coast Guard said spanned more than 100,000 square miles.

From New York Times

A similar rescue also took place in Micronesian waters in 2016 when three men whose boat was overturned swam two miles to reach a tiny island, on which they wrote “HELP” in the sand.

From New York Times

Two other people who went missing later that year were saved from a Micronesian island after writing “SOS” in the sand.

From New York Times