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Australia

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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English

Thumb
Satellite image of Australia (sense 1)

Alternative forms

Etymology

First attested 16th century, from Latin terra austrālis incōgnita (unknown southern land), from auster (the south wind). Used also in 1693 (quotation below). Popularised by Matthew Flinders in 1814 (quotation below).

Distantly cognate to Austria, containing the same Proto-Indo-European root, but through German where it retained the earlier sense of “east” rather than “south”.

See also Terra Australis.

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Australia

  1. An island of Oceania.
    • 1693: translation of a French novel by Jacques Sadeur (believed to be a pen name of Gabriel de Foigny) titled Les Aventures de Jacques Sadeur dans la Découverte et le Voiage de la Terre Australe published 1692, translation published in London in 1693. Quoted in The Australian Language by Sidney J. Baker, second edition, 1966, chapter XIX, section 1, pages 388-9.
      This is all that I can have a certain knowledge of as to that side of Australia ...
    • 1814, Matthew Flinders, A Voyage to Terra Australis, volume 1 (at Project Gutenberg)
      Had I permitted myself any innovation upon the original term, it would have been to convert it into AUSTRALIA; as being more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the earth.
  2. A country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire. Official name: Commonwealth of Australia. Capital: Canberra.
    Synonyms: Aussie (uncommon, colloquial), Aussieland (colloquial), land down under, New Holland (historical), Oz (colloquial), Terra Australis (historical), Upsidedownland (colloquial), Stralia (colloquial), Straya (colloquial)
    Hypernym: Antipodes
    • 2011 November 1, Emily Smith, “‘Movember’ gets hairy, for a cause”, in CNN:
      During Movember (the month formerly known as November), men around the globe grow mustaches (hence the name) while raising money for men’s health issues. Movember started in Australia in 2003.
    • 2025 May 30, Riley Cedar, “Soldier’s wife deported to Australia after detainment in Hawaii”, in Military Times:
      The statement did not specify the location of that trip, but provided further details of her romantic life, stating that Saroukos and her husband spent eight days together before she returned to Australia on Dec. 21.
  3. (geology) A continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands.
    He is going to Australia for his honeymoon for 10 days.
    Synonyms: Meganesia, Sahul, Oceania (inclusive of other islands)

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Japanese: オーストラリア (Ōsutoraria)
  • Maori: Ahitereiria
  • Tokelauan: Auhitalia

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

Further reading

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Albanian

Proper noun

Australia f

  1. definite nominative of Australi

Asturian

Asturian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ast

Proper noun

Australia f

  1. Australia (a country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)

Basque

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /au̯s̺tralia/ [au̯s̺.t̪ra.li.a]
  • Rhymes: -ia, -a
  • Hyphenation: Aus‧tra‧li‧a

Proper noun

Australia inan

  1. Australia (a country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)

Declension

More information indefinite, absolutive ...

Derived terms

Further reading

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Central Huasteca Nahuatl

Proper noun

Australia

  1. Australia (a country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)

Central Nahuatl

Proper noun

Australia

  1. Australia (a country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)

Finnish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin austrālia.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɑu̯strɑ(ː)liɑ/, [ˈɑ̝u̯s̠.trɑ̝(ː)ˌliɑ̝] (long vowel more common)
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -iɑ
  • Syllabification(key): Aust‧ra‧li‧a
  • Hyphenation(key): Aust‧ra‧lia

Proper noun

Australia

  1. Australia (a country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)

Declension

More information nominative, genitive ...
More information first-person singular possessor, singular ...

The internal locative cases (inessive, illative and elative) are used with this place name when referring to a location; for example, "in Australia" is Australiassa.

Derived terms

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Galician

Galician Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia gl

Alternative forms

Proper noun

Australia f

  1. Australia (a country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)
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Greenlandic

Etymology

Borrowed from English Australia (cognate with Danish Australien).

Noun

Australia

  1. Australia (a country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)

Ido

Proper noun

Australia

  1. Australia (a country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)

See also

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Indonesian

Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [aus.tra.li.ja]
  • Hyphenation: Aus‧tra‧lia

Proper noun

Australia

  1. Australia (a country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)
    Rey menjalankan SMA-nya di Australia.
    Rey attends high school in Australia.
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Ingrian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian Австралия (Avstralija).

Pronunciation

  • (Ala-Laukaa) IPA(key): /ˈɑu̯strɑliɑ/, [ˈɑu̯s̠trəˌlʲiɑ]
  • (Soikkola) IPA(key): /ˈɑu̯strɑliɑ/, [ˈɑu̯ʃtrɑˌliɑ]
  • Rhymes: -iɑ
  • Hyphenation: Aust‧ra‧li‧a

Proper noun

Australia

  1. Australia (a country in Oceania)
    • 1936, L. G. Terehova, V. G. Erdeli, translated by P. I. Maksimov and N. A. Iljin, Geografia: oppikirja iƶoroin alkușkoulun neljättä klaassaa vart (toine osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 123:
      Anglian päävladenjat ollaa India, Australia, Lounatafrikan sojuza, Kanada.
      England's main subjects are India, Australia, South African Union, Canada.
  2. Australia (a continent)
    • 1936, L. G. Terehova, V. G. Erdeli, translated by Mihailov and P. I. Maksimov, Geografia: oppikirja iƶoroin alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart (ensimäine osa) [Geography: textbook for Ingrian elementary school third grade (first part)], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 122:
      Voimakkaammat kapitalisticeskoit maat ottiit Afrikast, Amerikast, Australiast ja Aaziast ettäiset rikkaat maat.
      The strongest capitalistic countries took the faraway rich countries from Africa, America, Australia and Asia.

Declension

More information Declension of (type 3/kana, no gradation), singular ...

Interlingua

Proper noun

Australia

  1. Australia (a country consisting of a main island, the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands, located in Oceania; historically, a collection of former colonies of the British Empire)
  2. (geology) Australia (a continent consisting of the land on the Australian tectonic plate, i.e. Australia, New Guinea and intervening islands)

Italian

Latin

Malay

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Nynorsk

Polish

Romanian

Sicilian

Spanish

Swahili

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