plantation

¹ American  

[plan-tey-shuhn] / plænˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a large farm or estate in a tropical or semitropical zone, for the cultivation of cotton, tobacco, coffee, sugarcane, etc., typically by enslaved, unpaid, or low-wage resident laborers.

2. a group of planted trees or plants.

3. History/Historical.

   1. a colony or new settlement.

   2. the establishment of a colony or new settlement.

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

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adjective

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

Plantation ² American  

[plan-tey-shuhn] / plænˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a town in S Florida.

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plantation British  

/ plænˈteɪʃən /

noun

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

2. a group of cultivated trees or plants

3. (formerly) a colony or group of settlers

4. rare the planting of seeds, shoots, etc

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Other Word Forms

• plantationlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of plantation

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English plantacioune, from Latin plantātiōn- (stem of plantātiō ) “a planting”; plant (verb), -ation

Explanation

A plantation is a large agricultural property dedicated to planting a few crops on a large scale. If you dream of having 3,000 acres to raise cucumbers on, then you have dreams of a cucumber plantation. Plantation doesn't have to only mean massive single-product farms. A small grove of trees is also called a plantation, but usually when we use the word we mean the big farms. In the United States prior to the Civil War, crops like cotton and tobacco were grown on plantations in the South by exploiting the labor of enslaved people. In Latin America, many international companies own banana and coffee plantations.

Example Sentences

For the next few years, George labored in Creek territory before asking to be relocated to a plantation in Silver Bluff, S.C., where his life took a major turn.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The plantation also became a central component in new transnational commercial networks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"In Wayanad, going into the plantation at night is risky. We have snakes, wild boars, sometimes even leopards and elephants," he says.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

It saw "no active plantation... indicating that the clearing is infrastructure driven".

From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026

The inside of the train was swanky as what my imaginings had told me the inside of the Tanners’ plantation house was like.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Related Words

• estate
• homestead
• orchard
• ranch