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Added 10 October 2026

archipelago

/ˌɑːkɪˈpɛlɪɡəʊ/ noun

In Latin: archipelagus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about archipelago at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Preceded by the, and often in the form Archipelago: the Aegean Sea.
A sea or other body of water with many islands. A group of many islands.
A sea or other body of water with many islands.

verb

To scatter or strew (a place, or something) with things that collectively resemble a group of many islands.

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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