colony

[ kol-uh-nee ]

/ ˈkɒl ə ni /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR colony ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural col·o·nies.

a group of people who leave their native country to form in a new land a settlement subject to, or connected with, the parent nation.

the country or district settled or colonized: Many Western nations are former European colonies.

any people or territory separated from but subject to a ruling power.

the Colonies, those British colonies that formed the original 13 states of the United States: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

a number of people coming from the same country, or speaking the same language, residing in a foreign country or city, or a particular section of it; enclave: the Polish colony in Israel; the American colony in Paris.

any group of individuals having similar interests, occupations, etc., usually living in a particular locality; community: a colony of artists.

the district, quarter, or dwellings inhabited by any such number or group: The Greek island is now an artists' colony.

an aggregation of bacteria growing together as the descendants of a single cell.

Ecology. a group of organisms of the same kind living or growing in close association.

Words nearby colony

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

SYNONYMS FOR colony

6 body, band.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR colony ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for colonies

Cricket is a sport enjoyed by hundreds of millions around the globe, mainly in former British colonies.
The Story of the World’s Greatest Cricket Player|William O’Connor|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dr. John Morgan, perhaps the best-trained physician in the colonies, was then the leader.
George Washington, the First Vaxxer|Tom Shachtman|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The laws carried over to the American colonies, and would ultimately go on the books in 40 U.S. states.
Are You Legally Responsible for Your Elderly Parents?|Keli Goff|April 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It remains the receptive petri dish to any and all sorts of colonies of humanity that finally managed to find one another.
Five Subreddits You May Have Missed, and Probably Still Should Give a Miss|Kelly Williams Brown|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Instead, the two colonies were joined in a confederation, with separate legislatures.
What Canada's History Teaches Us About the Feasibility of the One-State Paradigm|Bernard Avishai|September 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Frontenac defines his position and raises a note of alarm in his very first despatch to the minister for the colonies.
Count Frontenac|William Dawson LeSueur
Upon this question the deputies of several cities and colonies were heard.
The Reign of Tiberius, Out of the First Six Annals of Tacitus|Tacitus
For this time Pitt's political wisdom had saved England from a disastrous breach with her colonies.
A History of England, Period III.|Rev. J. Franck Bright
After the loss of most of the American colonies the new department was abolished in 1782.
The Popular Science Monthly, July, 1900|Various
Even in the British colonies the victorious efficiency of the German commercial conquerors was making itself felt more and more.
Right Above Race|Otto Hermann Kahn

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

a community of people who form a national, racial, or cultural minorityan artists' colony; the American colony in London
the area itself

zoology

a group of the same type of animal or plant living or growing together, esp in large numbers
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.

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.

colony

noun, plural col·o·nies.

Words related to colony

Words nearby colony

Origin of colony

SYNONYMS FOR colony

OTHER WORDS FROM colony

Examples from the Web for colonies

British Dictionary definitions for colonies (1 of 2)

pl n the Colonies

British Dictionary definitions for colonies (2 of 2)

noun plural -nies

Word Origin for colony

Medical definitions for colonies

n.

Scientific definitions for colonies