Melanesian
noun. from Greek melas black + nēsos island
- A native or inhabitant of Melanesia in the Southwest Pacific. Melanesia includes New Guinea and the Torres Strait Islands and extends across the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck archipelago, Santa Cruz, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji;
- A member of the dominant people of Melanesia.
- The group of Austronesian languages spoken in the islands.
adjective.
- Of Melanesia, the people, or their group of languages.
