archipelago

Meaning

Noun

1. (collective) A group of islands.
2. (archaic, specifically) The Aegean Sea.
3. (broadly) Something scattered around like an archipelago.

Verb

To scatter or be scattered so as to resemble a group of islands.

Synonyms

group of islands

island group

islands

chain of islands

Translations

archipel

archipiélago

Archipel

arcipelago

archipel

Inselgruppe

arquipélago

αρχιπέλαγος

eilandengroep

arxipèlag

أرخبيل

eilandenzee

Inselmeer

takımadalar

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌɑːkəˈpɛləɡəʊ/

Etymology

From Italian arcipelago, formed on the basis of Ancient Greek ἀρχι- (arkhi-, “main”) + πέλαγος (pélagos, “sea”), a designation for the Aegean Sea. (Compare arch- and high seas.) The Aegean Sea is a sea with many islands; the term Arcipelago, originally a proper noun referring to the Aegean Sea, was first generalized to a common noun for any sea with many islands, and then to the islands in such a sea.