plantation

[ plan-tey-shuh n ]

/ plænˈteɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plantation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a usually large farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country, on which cotton, tobacco, coffee, sugar cane, or the like is cultivated, usually by resident laborers.

a group of planted trees or plants.

History/Historical.

a colony or new settlement.
the establishment of a colony or new settlement.

Archaic. the planting of seeds, young trees, etc.

adjective

(of clothing, furnishings, etc.) suitable for a plantation or for a tropical or semitropical country.

Nearby words

Origin of plantation

1400–50; late Middle English plantacioune < Latin plantātiōn- (stem of plantātiō) “a planting.” See plant (verb), -ation

Related formsplan·ta·tion·like, adjective

Plantation

[ plan-tey-shuh n ]

/ plænˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

a town in S Florida.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plantation

Hamer married in 1944 and moved with her husband to Ruleville, Miss., where they were sharecroppers on a plantation.
Remembering Civil Rights Heroine Fannie Lou Hamer: 'I'm Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired'|Lottie L. Joiner|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After firing that off, he clumsily asked what a plantation mentality is.
Donald Sterling’s Insane Attempt at Damage Control Fails Miserably|Nina Strochlic|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I think you have more of a plantation mentality than I do,” he said.
Donald Sterling’s Insane Attempt at Damage Control Fails Miserably|Nina Strochlic|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Located in northern California, the Plantation Farm Camp takes everything back to the basics.
The Wildest Summer Camps for Kids|Justin Jones|April 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Mississippi was “probably the worst, because of its plantation aristocracy.”
Can a Senator Stop a Union? Bob Corker Is Certainly Trying|Michael Tomasky|February 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"That's part of my plantation, yes," answered the Southerner.
Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue in the Sunny South|Laura Lee Hope
Toward the close of the packing season there are jolly times on the plantation.
Cotton, Its Progress from the Field to the Needle|Anonymous
One plantation contained three thousand acres of land, but was said to be very old and worn out.
Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field|Thomas W. Knox
So Henry Burns led off on the plantation melody, and the brothers joined in with a will.
Jack Harvey's Adventures|Ruel Perley Smith
There was a labourer working at a fence round a plantation, on the borders of the grounds.
Wuthering Heights|Emily Bronte

British Dictionary definitions for plantation

plantation

/ (plænˈteɪʃən) /

noun

an estate, esp in tropical countries, where cash crops such as rubber, oil palm, etc, are grown on a large scale

a group of cultivated trees or plants

(formerly) a colony or group of settlers

rare the planting of seeds, shoots, etc

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

Word Origin and History for plantation

plantation

mid-15c., "action of planting," from Middle French plantation, from Latin plantationem (nominative plantatio) "a planting," noun of action from past participle stem of plantare "to plant" (see plant). Historically used for "colony, settlement in a new land" (1610s); meaning "large farm on which tobacco or cotton is grown" is first recorded 1706.