Pohnpeian

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Of or relating to Pohnpei, the island in Micronesia, or to its people, culture, or the Polynesian-influenced language spoken there
2. Describing anything connected with Pohnpei, a volcanic island in the Federated States of Micronesia, including its inhabitants and their customs
3. Belonging to or characteristic of Pohnpei, the Micronesian island group, especially its people, traditions, and native tongue

Etymology: Pohnpeian is simply the name of a people and language plus the English suffix "-an", meaning "of or relating to" something. The place name Pohnpei is a Pohnpeian name for the island in the Federated States of Micronesia, and the people and language take their name from it. The word's real story is therefore about the island rather than about the suffix. The island's own name is built from the Pohnpeian word "pohn", meaning "on" or "upon", and "pei", the Pohnpeian word for a stone platform or altar, so the name roughly signals "on the stone platform". The English form arrived through the usual route for Pacific place names, with the English adjective suffix "-an", which descends from Latin "-anus" through Old French and Middle English, attached to the island's name.