West In·dies ( n d z) An archipelago between southeast North America and northern South America, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean and including the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahama Islands. The original inhabitants were Caribs and Arawaks. Several of the islands were sighted and explored by Columbus during his voyages of 1492-1504. The first permanent European settlement was made by the Spanish on Hispaniola in 1496. During the colonial period the English, French, and Dutch also laid claim to various islands, and the United States acquired Puerto Rico and part of the Virgin Islands in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. West Indian adj. & n. |
West Indies [ˈɪndɪz]
pl n
(Placename) an archipelago off Central America, extending over 2400 km (1500 miles) in an arc from the peninsula of Florida to Venezuela, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean: consists of the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas; largest island is Cuba. Area: over 235 000 sq. km (91 000 sq. miles) Also called the Caribbean
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  West Indies - the string of islands between North America and South America; a popular resort areaAnguilla - a British colony in the West Indies Caribbean - region including the Caribbean Islands Cayman Islands - a British colony in the Caribbean to the northwest of Jamaica; an international banking center Montserrat - a volcanic island in the Caribbean; in the West Indies British West Indies - the islands in the West Indies that were formerly under British control, including the Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Antigua, Grenada, Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad Antilles - a group of islands in the West Indies French West Indies - the islands in the Lesser Antilles that are administered by France Virgin Islands - a group of islands in northeastern West Indies (east of Puerto Rico) discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493; owned by United States and Britain Trinidad - an island in West Indies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela Tobago - island in West Indies Bahama Islands, Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahamas - island country in the Atlantic to the east of Florida and Cuba; a popular winter resort Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean - the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east Anguillan - a native or inhabitant of the island of Anguilla in the West Indies West Indian - a native or inhabitant of the West Indies |
Translations
West Indies [ˌwɛstˈɪndiz] npl
the West Indies → les Antilles fpl anglaises, les Caraïbes fpl
in the West Indies → aux Antilles anglaises, aux Caraïbes
the West Indies → les Antilles fpl anglaises, les Caraïbes fpl
in the West Indies → aux Antilles anglaises, aux Caraïbes
West Indies npl the West Indies → le Indie Occidentali
West Indies npl the West Indies → le Indie Occidentali
West Indies npl the West Indies → le Indie Occidentali
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