colonus

[ kuh-loh-nuhs ]

/ 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.

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You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?

To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.

To stew in a sauce for a long time.

To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.

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Origin of colonus

First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin colōnus “inhabitant of a colony, tenant farmer, farmer,” derivative of colere “to inhabit, till, cultivate”; cf. cult, cultivate

Example sentences from the Web for colonus

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

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