Malayo-Polynesian

[ muh-ley-oh-pol-uh-nee-zhuhn, -shuhn ]

noun

1. Austronesian.

Malayo-Polynesian

noun

1. Also calledAustronesian a family of languages extending from Madagascar to the central Pacific, including Malagasy, Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog, and Polynesian See also Austro-Asiatic

adjective

1. of or relating to this family of languages

Example Sentences

In the interview, McCartney also told Goldberg about his inspiration for writing the Beatles' song "Lady Madonna"—a National Geographic magazine photograph of a Malayo-Polynesian woman surrounded by three small children, one of them nursing.

From National Geographic

But one of those subfamilies, termed Malayo-Polynesian, comprises 945 of those 959 languages and covers almost the entire geographic range of the Austronesian family.

From Literature

Languages of the Malayan Peoples.—With the exception of the Negrito, all the languages of the Philippines belong to one great family, which has been called the “Malayo-Polynesian.”

From Project Gutenberg

An institution thoroughly suggestive of Malayo-Polynesian sociology is that of fadi or tabu, which enters into every sphere of human activity.

From Project Gutenberg

The inhabitants of this island are the last outpost of the Malayo-Polynesian race.

From Project Gutenberg