(1603–c.1659), Dutch navigator; full name Abel Janszoon Tasman. Sent in 1642 by the Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Anthony van Diemen (1593–1645), to explore Australian waters, he reached Tasmania (which he named Van Diemen's Land) and New Zealand, and in 1643 arrived at Tonga and Fiji.
Definition of Tasman, Abel in US English:
Tasman, Abel
proper nounˈtazmən
(1603–c.1659), Dutch navigator; full name Abel Janszoon Tasman. Sent in 1642 by Anthony van Diemen (1593–1645), the governor general of the Dutch East Indies, to explore Australian waters, he reached Tasmania (which he named Van Diemen's Land) and New Zealand. He arrived at Tonga and Fiji in 1643.