Melanesia
[mel-uh-nee-zhuh, -shuh] /ˌmɛl əˈni ʒə, -ʃə/
noun
1.
one of the three principal divisions of Oceania, comprising the island groups in the S Pacific NE of Australia.
/ˌmɛləˈniːzɪə/
noun
1.
one of the three divisions of islands in the Pacific (the others being Micronesia and Polynesia); the SW division of Oceania: includes Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Louisiade, Solomon, Santa Cruz, and Loyalty Islands, which all lie northeast of Australia
one of three large divisions of Pacific islands, 1840, from a continental language, from melano- + nesos “island” (see Chersonese) + -ia. Modeled after Polynesia and meant to signify “the islands inhabited by blacks.”
La Melanesia comprende la grande isola Australia, e quelle degli arcipelaghi di Salomone, di Lapèrouse, di Quiros, e dei gruppi della Nuova Caledonia, di Norfolk, e della Diemenin. A cagione dei Neri Oceanici, che, quasi esclusivamente, ne popolano le regioni, questa parte della Oceania ebbe dai moderni geografi e viaggiatori (il Graberg, il Rienzi, il d’Urville, ec.) il nome di Melanesia. [“Corso di Geografia Universale,” Firenze, 1839]
Read Also:
- Melanedema
melanedema mel·a·ne·de·ma (měl’ə-nĭ-dē’mə) n. Dark brown or black granules of insoluble pigment in the blood.
- Melioristic
[meel-yuh-riz-uh m, mee-lee-uh-] /ˈmil yəˌrɪz əm, ˈmi li ə-/ noun 1. the doctrine that the world tends to become better or may be made better by human effort. /ˈmiːlɪəˌrɪzəm/ noun 1. the notion that the world can be improved by human effort n. “belief that the world tends to become better,” 1868, from Latin melior […]
- Meliority
[meel-yawr-i-tee, -yor-, mee-lee-awr-, -or-] /milˈyɔr ɪ ti, -ˈyɒr-, ˌmi liˈɔr-, -ˈɒr-/ noun 1. .
- Melisma
[mi-liz-muh] /mɪˈlɪz mə/ noun, plural melismas, melismata [mi-liz-muh-tuh] /mɪˈlɪz mə tə/ (Show IPA). Music. 1. an ornamental phrase of several notes sung to one syllable of text, as in plainsong or blues singing. /mɪˈlɪzmə/ noun (pl) -mata (-mətə), -mas 1. (music) an expressive vocal phrase or passage consisting of several notes sung to one syllable […]
- Melismatic
[mi-liz-muh] /mɪˈlɪz mə/ noun, plural melismas, melismata [mi-liz-muh-tuh] /mɪˈlɪz mə tə/ (Show IPA). Music. 1. an ornamental phrase of several notes sung to one syllable of text, as in plainsong or blues singing. /mɪˈlɪzmə/ noun (pl) -mata (-mətə), -mas 1. (music) an expressive vocal phrase or passage consisting of several notes sung to one syllable […]