colonia

American  

[kuh-loh-nee-uh, -lohn-yuh, kaw-law-nyah] / kəˈloʊ ni ə, -ˈloʊn yə, kɔˈlɔ nyɑ /

noun

plural

colonias

1. (in the southwestern U.S.) a city neighborhood or a rural settlement inhabited predominantly by Mexicans or Mexican Americans.

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Etymology

Origin of colonia

< Mexican Spanish: newly built or settled district of a city; Spanish: plantation, colony

Example Sentences

At first, moving from the nearby city of Mission to a colonia seemed like an opportunity to gain a toehold on the real estate ladder.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2023

En 1749, un militar español llamado José de Escandón estableció la colonia Nuevo Santander, que atravesaba el río Bravo en lo que hoy es el noreste de México y el sur de Texas.

From New York Times • Nov. 5, 2022

An agent patrolling the colonia declined to have his photo taken outside our house, implying he never knows who is in league with the cartels.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2018

The Indian Hills colonia is a maze of tumbledown homes with dirt yards and high chain-link fencing, each one like a cage protecting it from the next.

From The Guardian • Nov. 19, 2018

Corduba, probably of Carthaginian origin, was occupied by the Romans under Marcus Marcellus in 152 B.C.. and shortly afterwards became the first Roman colonia in Spain.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 4 "Coquelin" to "Costume" by Various