Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

austronesian

/ˌɔːs.tɹoʊˈniː.ʒən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.00 in modern English

Syllables: aus-trone-sian
IPA: /ˌɔːs.tɹoʊˈniː.ʒən/

12

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Pertaining to the Austronesian language family.

adj

Of or pertaining to Austronesia.

noun

A speaker of an Austronesian language, especially a member of the ancient maritime culture that spread Austronesian languages across the Pacific from Taiwan.

Example Sentences

"an Austronesian language"
"Taitung County, with seven Indigenous peoples of Austronesian descent -- Amis, Paiwan, Bunun, Rukai, Pinuyumayan (also known as the Puyuma), Yami (also known as the Tao), and Kavalan -- is the most diverse region in Taiwan in terms of Austronesian culture, offering students a chance to apply their research to real-world scenarios and engage in intimate observations of how indigenous groups grapple with the challenges of modern times, Chen said."

Etymology

Borrowed from German Austronesisch; coined by Wilhelm Schmidt. From Latin austro- (“southern”) + Ancient Greek νῆσος (nêsos, “island”) + -ian.

Origin

Source language: German

Word Breakdown

Root: Austronesisch

Inflected Forms

more Austronesian (comparative) most Austronesian (superlative) Austronesians (plural)

Derived Forms

Austronesianist Austronesia

Synonyms

austronesian language

Questions

How do you pronounce austronesian?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌɔːs.tɹoʊˈniː.ʒən/.
What does austronesian mean?: Pertaining to the Austronesian language family.
Where does austronesian come from?: It is traced to German.

How to pronounce austronesian

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “austronesian”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌɔːs.tɹoʊˈniː.ʒən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “austronesian” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.