Polynesian

UK: /ˌpɒlɪˈniːziən/ US: (pol′ə nē′zhən, -shən)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

Pol•y•ne•sian  (pol′ə nē′zhən, -shən), adj. 

1. Place Names of or pertaining to Polynesia, its inhabitants, or their languages.

n. 

2. Language Varieties, Anthropology a member of any of a number of brown-skinned peoples, variously classified as to race, of distinctive customs, speaking closely related Austronesian languages, who inhabit Polynesia.
3. Language Varieties the easternmost group of Austronesian languages, including Maori, Tahitian, Samoan, Hawaiian, and the language of Easter Island.

• Polynesi(a) + -an 1805–15

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Polynesian / ˌpɒlɪˈniːʒən -ʒɪən/ adjective

1. of or relating to Polynesia, its people, or any of their languages

noun

1. a member of the people that inhabit Polynesia, generally having light brown skin and wavy hair
2. a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian family of languages, including Māori and Hawaiian and a number of other closely related languages of the S and central Pacific