/pol'euh nee"zheuhn, -sheuhn/ , adj.
1. of or pertaining to Polynesia, its inhabitants, or their languages.
n.
2. a member of any of a number of brown-skinned peoples, variously classified as to race, of distinctive customs, speaking closely related Austronesian languages, who inhabit Polynesia.
3. the easternmost group of Austronesian languages, including Maori, Tahitian, Samoan, Hawaiian, and the language of Easter Island.
[ 1805-15; POLYNESI(A) + -AN ]