Archipelago
A group or chain of islands; a large cluster of islands in a sea or ocean.
nounArchipelago
A group or chain of islands; a large cluster of islands in a sea or ocean.
nounImagine This
Imagine sailing on a bright blue sea and spotting a necklace of green islands stretching as far as the eye can see, each island separated by shimmering channels of water.
Sounds Like
AR-kuh-PEL-uh-goh
Looks Like
archi-PEL-uh-go; suggests arch (chief) + pelagos (sea)
Remember This
The word comes from Italian arcipelago, which itself comes from Greek arkhipélagos meaning 'chief sea'. The 'archi-' element means 'principal' or 'chief'.
Other Forms
Connect With
island, island chain, pelagic, archipelagic
Note
Use archipelago to refer to a group of islands. For an adjective, use archipelagic. Note common confusion with 'island' (singular) and 'archipelago' (plural concept).
Study Deeper
- Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago.
- Greece has many archipelagos in the Aegean Sea.
From Italian arcipelago, from Greek arkhi-pélagos meaning 'chief sea' (arkhi = chief, pelagos = sea).
ARCHI-PELAGO: The chief sea with many islands; remember that archi means chief and pelagos means sea.
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