leeward islands

English - English

Definition of leeward islands in English English dictionary

a group of islands in the eastern West Indies

The northern of the Lesser Antilles, consisting of the islands or nations of the Virgin Islands, Antigua, Saint Martin, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Sint Eustatius, Saba and Dominica

{i} chain of islands in the West Indies

the Leeward Islands a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, between Puerto Rico and Martinique, which includes the islands of Antigua, Montserrat, and Guadeloupe, and the Virgin Islands. Arc of West Indian islands that constitute the most westerly and northerly of the Lesser Antilles, northeastern Caribbean Sea. The major islands are, from north to south, the Virgin Islands of the U.S. and the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, St. Martin, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, and Guadeloupe. Just south of this chain is Dominica, sometimes classified as part of the Leeward Islands but usually designated as part of the Windward Islands

Hyphenation

lee·ward islands

Turkish pronunciation

liwırd aylındz

Synonyms

northwestern hawaiian islands

Pronunciation

/ˈlēwərd ˈīləndz/ /ˈliːwɜrd ˈaɪləndz/

Etymology

() Called leeward because the prevailing winds in the area blow from east to west. Thus, the Leeward Islands are downwind, or leeward of, the easternmost Windward Islands, the group of islands that first meet the trade winds coming from the east.