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Cook Islands

An island group of the southern Pacific Ocean east of Samoa. Inhabited by Polynesians who arrived around 1,500 years ago, the islands are named for Capt. James Cook, who visited them in 1773. They are now self-governing under the sovereignty of New Zealand.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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