I. |pälə|nēzhən, -ēsh- adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Polynesia, islands of the central Pacific ocean + English -an
1.
a. : of, relating to, or characteristic of Polynesia
b. : of, relating to, or characteristic of the Polynesians
2. : of, relating to, or characteristic of the Polynesian languages
3. : of, relating to, or being a biogeographic region or subregion of the Australian region that includes the smaller tropical Pacific islands
II. noun
( -s )
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: Polynesia + English -an
1. : a member of any of the native peoples of Polynesia usually classified as being a composite chiefly of the white, Mongoloid, and Melanesian races and described as having black wavy hair, black eyes, medium breadth of nose, medium prognathism, brown skin, tall stature, and large-boned build
2. : a group of Austronesian languages spoken largely in Polynesia