Meanings
- An archipelago of Indonesia.
Synonyms: Maluku, Malukus, Maluku Islands, Maluku islands, Moluccan Islands, Spice Islands
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounAn archipelago of Indonesia.
Origin
- Arabicجَزِيرَات المَلِك
- EnglishMoluccas
From Maluku, thought to have been derived from the term used by Arab traders for the region, Arabic جَزِيرَات المَلِك (jazīrāt al-malik, literally “king islands”), from the word مَلِك (malik). However, since the name itself has been mentioned in a 14th-century Majapahit eulogy, Nagarakretagama, that predates the arrival of Islam in Maluku at the late fifteenth century, other sources claim that the name comes from a local language with the meaning "the head of a bull" or "the head of something large".
More words from Arabic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 摩鹿加群島 /摩鹿加群岛
- 摩鹿加群島 /摩鹿加群岛 (Mólùjiā Qúndǎo)archipelago
Czech Moluky
- Molukyarchipelago
Dutch Molukken
- Molukkenarchipelago
French Moluques
- Moluquesarchipelago
German Molukken
- Molukkenarchipelago
Greek Μολούκες
- Μολούκες (Moloúkes)archipelago
Irish na Molacaí
- na Molacaíarchipelago
Italian Molucche
- Molucchearchipelago
Portuguese Molucas
- Molucasarchipelago
Russian Молу́ккские острова́
- Молу́ккские острова́ (Molúkkskije ostrová)archipelago
Spanish Molucas, Islas Molucas
- Molucasarchipelago
- Islas Molucasarchipelago
Cite this entry
Moluccas. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Moluccas
“Moluccas.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Moluccas. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Moluccas,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Moluccas.
Source: Moluccas on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.