colonus

[ kuh-loh-nuh s ]

/ kəˈloʊ nəs /

|

noun, plural co·lo·ni [kuh-loh-nahy, -nee] /kəˈloʊ naɪ, -ni/.

a serf in the latter period of the Roman Empire or in the early feudal period.

Nearby words

colonorrhagia, colonorrhea, colonoscope, colonoscopy, colonsay, colonus, colony, colony collapse disorder, colony stimulating factor, colony-stimulating factor, colopexostomy

Origin of colonus

1885–90; < Latin colōnus inhabitant of a colony, tenant-farmer, farmer, derivative of colere to inhabit, till, cultivate; cf. cult, cultivate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for coloni

A colony is therefore denominated because they should be coloni, the tillers of the earth and stewards of fertility.
The Bounty of the Chesapeake|James Wharton
Such land was let either on five-year leases or in perpetuity to coloni.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3|Various
Concerning the coloni or servi of the Church, what services and tributes they are to render.
The English Village Community|Frederic Seebohm
The Roman estate had been cultivated by free farmers, by coloni, and by slave labour.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 4|Various

In this respect they resembled very closely the Roman 'coloni' on a private villa.
The English Village Community|Frederic Seebohm