colony

[ kol-uh-nee ]
/ ˈkɒl ə ni /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR colony ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural col·o·nies.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of colony

1350–1400; Middle English colonie (< Middle French) < Latin colōnia, equivalent to colōn(us) colonus + -ia -y3

OTHER WORDS FROM colony

sem·i·col·o·ny, noun, plural sem·i·col·o·nies.sub·col·o·ny, noun, plural sub·col·o·nies.

Words nearby colony

colonorrhea, colonoscope, colonoscopy, colonsay, colonus, colony, colony collapse disorder, colony stimulating factor, colony-stimulating factor, colopexostomy, colopexy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to colonies

province, territory, outpost, protectorate, possession, satellite, swarm, clearing, dependency, dominion, mandate, offshoot, settlement, antecedents

Example sentences from the Web for colonies

British Dictionary definitions for colonies (1 of 2)

Colonies
/ (ˈkɒlənɪz) /

pl n the Colonies

British the subject territories formerly in the British Empire
US history the 13 states forming the original United States of America when they declared their independence (1776). These were Connecticut, North and South Carolina, Delaware, Georgia, New Hampshire, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and New Jersey

British Dictionary definitions for colonies (2 of 2)

colony
/ (ˈkɒlənɪ) /

noun plural -nies

a body of people who settle in a country distant from their homeland but maintain ties with it
the community formed by such settlers
a subject territory occupied by a settlement from the ruling state
  1. a community of people who form a national, racial, or cultural minorityan artists' colony; the American colony in London
  2. the area itself
zoology
  1. a group of the same type of animal or plant living or growing together, esp in large numbers
  2. an interconnected group of polyps of a colonial organism
bacteriol a group of bacteria, fungi, etc, derived from one or a few spores, esp when grown on a culture medium

Word Origin for colony

C16: from Latin colōnia, from colere to cultivate, inhabit
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for colonies

colony
[ kŏl′ə-nē ]

n.

A discrete group of organisms, such as a group of cells growing on a solid nutrient surface.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for colonies

colony
[ kŏl′ə-nē ]

A group of the same kind of animals, plants, or one-celled organisms living or growing together. Organisms live in colonies for their mutual benefit, and especially their protection. Multicellular organisms may have evolved out of colonies of unicellular organisms.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.