Fiji

Meaning

1. A country and archipelago of over 300 islands in Melanesia in Oceania. Capital and largest city: Suva.

Etymology / origin

Borrowed from Tongan Fisi (historically pronounced with a palatal affricate, IPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: [ˈfit͡ʃi]), itself borrowed from Fijian Viti, from Proto‐Central Pacific *viti ‘east, sunrise’. The English spelling ‘Fiji’ was popularized by Captain James Cook’s phonetic transcription of the 18th‐century Tongan pronunciation.

Sources

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