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

From then on, the plantation system drove the expansion of slavery and the international slave trade, and eventually survived the demise of both.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

With the growth of canals and railroads in the 19th century, Americans’ taste for coffee spread across the country, accelerated, Mr. Rood says, by the “product-cheapening” mass production of the plantation.

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

And there is no sign yet that other projects linked to large-scale deforestation, including a food and energy plantation plan in South Papua, will be halted in this drive.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

A ferryman purchased from a neighbor in 1767, he was listed as the chief cook by 1787 in plantation records.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Related Words

• estate
• homestead
• orchard
• ranch