definitions

colony

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

noun, plural col·o·nies.

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

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

Origin of colony

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

Related forms

sem·i·col·o·ny, noun, plural sem·i·col·o·nies.sub·col·o·ny, noun, plural sub·col·o·nies.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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

Medicine 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.

Science 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.