Mortlock

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A chain of low coral atolls in the western Pacific, part of the Chuuk State of Micronesia ; a family name of English origin borne by various people
2. A cluster of small coral islands in Micronesia, in the Pacific Ocean ; a surname shared by a number of individuals
3. An atoll group in the western Pacific Ocean belonging to Micronesia ; a hereditary family name carried by people in English-speaking countries

Etymology: Mortlock is a group of atolls in the Chuuk Lagoon region of the Federated States of Micronesia, and the word "mortlock" is simply the name of that place used as an adjective or noun for its people and language. Mortlockese, the language spoken there, takes its name from the same islands, and the word "mortlock" is a shorter synonym for it. The formation is plain. "Mortlock" is the place name, and the suffix "-ese" is the English way of marking a language or the people of a place, as in Japanese or Maltese. Nothing in the source connects the name itself to an earlier meaning, so the word's story is essentially the story of the islands' name, given to a language once Europeans recorded it.