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• plantation
  plantation

  noun

  a large farm or estate in a tropical or semitropical zone, for the cultivation of cotton, tobacco, coffee, sugarcane, etc., typically by enslaved, unpaid, or low-wage resident laborers.
• Plantation
  Plantation

  noun

  a town in S Florida.

plantation

¹ American  

[plan-tay-shuhn] / plænˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• plantations
  plural

1. a large farm or estate in a tropical or semitropical zone, for the cultivation of cotton, tobacco, coffee, sugarcane, etc., typically by enslaved, unpaid, or low-wage resident laborers.

2. a group of planted trees or plants.

3. History/Historical.

   1. a colony or new settlement.

   2. the establishment of a colony or new settlement.

4. Archaic. the planting of seeds, young trees, etc.

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adjective

1. (of clothing, furnishings, etc.) suitable for a plantation or for a tropical or semitropical country.

Plantation ² American  

[plan-tay-shuhn] / plænˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a town in S Florida.

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plantation British  

/ plænˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. an estate, esp in tropical countries, where cash crops such as rubber, oil palm, etc, are grown on a large scale

2. a group of cultivated trees or plants

3. (formerly) a colony or group of settlers

4. rare the planting of seeds, shoots, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plantationlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plantations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of plantation

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English plantacioune, from Latin plantātiōn- (stem of plantātiō ) “a planting”; see plant (verb), -ation

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Explanation

A plantation is a large agricultural property dedicated to planting a few crops on a large scale. If you dream of having 3,000 acres to raise cucumbers on, then you have dreams of a cucumber plantation. Plantation doesn't have to only mean massive single-product farms. A small grove of trees is also called a plantation, but usually when we use the word we mean the big farms. In the United States prior to the Civil War, crops like cotton and tobacco were grown on plantations in the South by exploiting the labor of enslaved people. In Latin America, many international companies own banana and coffee plantations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plantation Plantation plantations

Public IB maintains an overweight rating on Malaysia’s plantation sector, pegging Sarawak Plantation and TA Ann as preferred picks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Oil palm plantations and other plantation forestry are also widespread in the region.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

The orangutan pair had been under observation since July after being spotted in a plantation area near a forest in West Kalimantan, a local natural resources conservation agency said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

After being sold multiple times across state lines, her last owner, a Mississippi plantation owner named Robert Smith moved West to begin a Mormon community in Utah.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

We’re on the premises of what was formerly a plantation, so the house is surrounded by lovely groves of orange trees and coconut palms.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Long lives with his wife and nine children in Pecan Plantation, a community that could neighbor one of the county’s proposed data centers.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026

It wasn’t until two years later that Coe would snag a record deal with Shelby Singleton’s SSS International and Plantation Records and release “Penitentiary Blues.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Matthew Saneholtz, chief investment officer and senior wealth adviser at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, Fla., told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2025

Morris, Pusser visited a saloon called the Plantation Club, run at the time by W.O.

From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2025

But he lived in the nicest tenant house on Frederick Plantation.

From "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Singapore has no plantations or forests of its own, but several companies with concessions in Indonesia are reportedly based in the city-state.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Mama Lifa and her child Lifa were found in a patch of acacia trees entirely surrounded by oil palm plantations.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Plants growing in oil palm plantations were much more likely to contain wasps than those found in logged forest.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

In Indonesia, the Dutch moved to cripple industry ahead of the Japanese advance, targeting oil wells on Sumatra and Borneo, road and rail networks on Java, and infrastructure on rubber plantations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Former slaves literally walked away from their plantations, causing panic and outrage among plantation owners.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

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Related Words

• estate
• homestead
• orchard
• ranch

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