archipelago

Pronunciation: /ˌɑːrkəˈpeləɡoʊ/ (American English)

Origin: Early 16th century, from Italian arcipelago, from Greek arkhi- ('chief') + pelagos ('sea')

Meanings:

1. A group of islands
2. A sea or stretch of water containing many islands

Example Sentences:

1. The Hawaiian archipelago consists of eight main islands and numerous smaller ones.
2. The Aegean Sea is dotted with a beautiful archipelago of Greek islands.
3. The marine biodiversity in this archipelago is truly remarkable.

Related Words:

• Noun (plural): archipelagos or archipelagoes
• Adjective: archipelagic

Synonyms:

• Island chain
• Island group
• Island cluster

Memorizable Tricks:

• Think of "archi-" (chief) + "pelago" (sea) = the chief sea with many islands
• Visualize a map with scattered islands, like dots forming a pattern in the ocean
• Remember the phrase "Archi's pet lago" - Archi (chief) has a pet lake (sea) filled with islands