ACD - Austronesian Comparative Dictionary Online

*nusa₁ island

PMP nusa₁ island ⇫ ¶

WMP
Maranao	nosa	(< ?) island in Lake Lanao
Mapun	nusa	a small island, islet
	ka-nusa-an	a group of small islands
Sangir	nusa	island
Malay	nusa	island (only in island names, not in speaking of an island)
Nias	nuza	island, place
	so-nusa	native, indigenous
Mentawai	nuša	island
Bare'e	nusa	land, district
Sundanese	nusa	island
Old Javanese	nūsāntara	the other islands
	nūsa	island
Javanese	nusa	island
Balinese	nusantara	from another island, foreign
	nusa	island
Malagasy	ta-nosy	islander; name of a tribe on the southeast coast
	nosy	island
CMP
Wahai	lusa-n	island
Alune	nusa	island, land
Batu Merah	nusa	island
Teluti	nusa	island
Saparua	nusa	island
West Damar	nuda	island
East Damar	nuh	island
Yamdena	nuse	district; population of a district; people
Erai	nusa-	island
Talur	nusa	island
Selaru	nusa-re	land, district; people
Leti	nusa	land, earth
Lamaholot	nuha	island
Rembong	nusa	island
Manggarai	nunca ~ nuca	island
Komodo	nusa	island
Sika	nuha-ŋ	island
Ngadha	nusa	land, island
Tetun	nusa	island
Kambera	nuha	land, island
Rotinese	nusa-k	island; state, domain; court-village, court
Morella	nusa	island
Wetan	noa	land, island, territory, region
SHWNG
Buli	nus	island
Numfor	nu	island, only used in compounds, as Nu-mfor, Nus Mapi, etc.
Serui-Laut	nu	island
Wandamen	nu	island
Waropen	nusa	island
Moor	nuta	island
Irarutu	nu	island
OC
Tigak	kuru-nusa	island
Mendak	nusa	island
Mengen	nuta	island
Roviana	nusa	island
	nu-nusa	islands
Eddystone/Mandegusu	nusa	island
Arosi	nu-nuta	an island at the mouth of a stream

POC a-nusa small island, islet ⇫ ¶

OC
Woleaian	ya-liut	small uninhabited island
Mono-Alu	a-nusa	island
Nggela	a-nuha	an island (only in names, the usual word being )
Sa'a	Ȁ-nute	name of the island of Florida
Arosi	a-nuta	the name of a small island on the south coast
Fijian	ya-nuca	proper name of many small islands

Reconstructions

PMP	nusa₁	island
POC	a-nusa	small island, islet

Note

Also Bimanese nisa ‘small island’. This word almost certainly meant ‘island’ in PMP, but in several languages, including at least Malay, Numfor, Nggela, Arosi, and Fijian it has come to apply only to island names, and is distinct from the general term of reference. In several languages (Mapun, Arosi, Woleaian, Fijian) the reference is limited to smaller islands or islets, but if this is a retention from PMP or POc it is difficult to see what it contrasted with. Osmond, Pawley and Ross (2003:42) posit POc *nusa ‘island’, *qa-nusa ‘at our own island’, but no clear evidence is given for the initial consonant of the latter term, and it is at least plausible that the longer word is another example of the ‘adhesive locative’ (Blust 1989a). As noted by Osmond, Pawley and Ross (2003:42), “Anuta, the name of a very small Polynesian island near Tikopia, is probably also cognate.”