noun
archipelago
ah-kih-PEH-lih-goh
noun
1
A group or chain of many islands scattered across a stretch of water.
"The Philippines is an archipelago made up of more than 7,000 islands."
"They sailed between the islands of the archipelago for weeks."
How to Use Archipelago
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA large group of islands close together in the sea.
Common pairings
island archipelago
a vast archipelago
Word Forms
archipelagoed past tense, archipelagoes plural, archipelagos plural, archipelagos singular
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The Philippines is an _____ made up of more than 7,000 islands.
Etymology
From Italian arcipelago, originally referring to the Aegean Sea, from arci- ("chief") plus pelago ("sea").