archipelago

== English == === Etymology === The noun is borrowed from Italian arcipelago (“Aegean Sea; group of many islands”), from arci- (variant of archi- (prefix meaning ‘foremost, primary’)) + pelago (“(open) sea”): Archi- is derived from Latin archi-, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ρχῐ- (ărkhĭ-, prefix denoting primary authority or importance), from ἄρχω (árkhō, “to begin; to lead, rule”) or ᾰ̓ρχός (ărkhós, “leader, ruler”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- (“to fit, put together”) or *h₂ergʰ- (“to begin; to command, rule”). Pelago is from Latin pelagus (“sea”), from Ancient Greek πέλᾰγος (pélăgos, “sea”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”) or a non-Indo-European language. By surface analysis, archi- (prefix meaning ‘foremost, primary’) +‎ -pelago (suffix meaning ‘sea’). Noun sense 2.1 (“sea with many islands”) is from the fact that the Aegean Sea has many islands, and noun sense 2.2 (“group of many islands”) represents a shift of meaning from the sea to the islands in such a sea. The verb is derived from the noun. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌɑːkɪˈpɛlɪɡəʊ/, /-lə-/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˌɑɹkəˈpɛləˌɡoʊ/, /-t͡ʃə-/ Hyphenation: ar‧chi‧pel‧a‧go === Noun === archipelago (plural archipelagoes or archipelagos) (archaic) Preceded by the, and often in the form Archipelago: the Aegean Sea. (geography, by extension) A sea or other body of water with many islands. (collective) A group of many islands. Hyponym: island chain (figurative) A thing comprising many other scattered things. ==== Hyponyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === archipelago (third-person singular simple present archipelagos, present participle archipelagoing, simple past and past participle archipelagoed) (transitive, rare) To scatter or strew (a place, or something) with things that collectively resemble a group of many islands. ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === archipelago on Wikipedia.Wikipedia == Portuguese == === Noun === archipelago m (plural archipelagos) pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of arquipélago