colonia

American  

[kuh-loh-nee-uh, -lohn-yuh, kaw-law-nyah] / kəˈloʊ ni ə, -ˈloʊn yə, kɔˈlɔ nyɑ /

noun

plural

colonias

1. (in the southwestern U.S.) a city neighborhood or a rural settlement inhabited predominantly by Mexicans or Mexican Americans.

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Etymology

Origin of colonia

< Mexican Spanish: newly built or settled district of a city; Spanish: plantation, colony

Example Sentences

Three years ago, Ms. Quilatan and her family moved to a colonia called Pueblo de Palmas, not far from McAllen.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2023

Low water pressure and boil notices are common problems in her colonia, too.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2023

We also found that, although residents in the colonia were not happy about immigrants coursing through their neighborhood, they were not fans of the Border Patrol, either.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2018

When a storm in late May flooded the Indian Hills colonia east of McAllen, the water spilled under doorways and began to rise.

From The Guardian • Nov. 19, 2018

It was a municipium under the early empire, but was converted into a colonia under Antoninus Pius by Herodes Atticus, who provided it with a water-supply.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2 "Camorra" to "Cape Colony" by Various