Austronesian

English

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

Austronesian (comparative more Austronesian, superlative most Austronesian)

Pertaining to the Austronesian language family.
an Austronesian language
Of or pertaining to Austronesia.
- 2022 August 6, Tyson Lu, Sean Lin, “Taitung university launches doctoral program on Austronesian studies”, in Focus Taiwan‎^[1], archived from the original on 06 August 2022, Culture:
  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.

of or pertaining to Austronesia

Austronesian (plural Austronesians)

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