Polynesia

Meaning

Proper Noun

• Part of Oceania including Easter Island, Hawaii, New Zealand, and most of the islands between them.

Origin

• Borrowed from French polynésie, coined by Charles de Brosses in 1756, from Ancient Greek πολύς + νῆσος. According to Moon Handbooks Tahiti, de Brosses first used the term to refer to all Pacific islands. The present restricted use was established by J. S. C. Dumont d'Urville in 1832.