australia
australia Lexical Profile
• noun
A sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands, located in Oceania between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
"We are planning a three-week road trip along the eastern coast of Australia next summer."
The smallest of the world's continents, comprising the mainland of the country of Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and adjacent islands in Oceania.
"Due to its long geographic isolation, Australia is home to a vast array of unique marsupials and flora found nowhere else on Earth."
• Rhymes for australia
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'australis', meaning 'southern'. The name stems from the legendary 'terra australis incognita' (unknown southern land) hypothesized to exist in the Southern Hemisphere by European cartographers long before the continent was actually encountered by them.