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

Example Sentences

Unusually intense monsoon rains pummelled parts of South and Southeast Asia in November and December, triggering landslides and floods from Indonesia's rainforests to highland plantations in Sri Lanka.

From Barron's

Mining, plantations, and fires have caused the clearance of large tracts of lush Indonesian rainforest, removing trees that absorbed rain and helped stabilise soil.

From Barron's

After being controlled by the French, who brought in slaves from Madagascar and elsewhere to work coconut plantations, it was taken over by the British after the Napoleonic wars.

From The Wall Street Journal

Meanwhile, Black Americans enslaved on plantations were using homemade instruments such as stringed gourds to produce music with complex rhythms influenced by African traditions, which would later develop into blues and jazz.

From The Wall Street Journal

More than 1,300 people from around 70 countries are estimated to attend the Habano Festival each year to sample cigars from Cuba's producers, as well as visit tobacco plantations and factories.

From BBC

Related Words

• estate
• homestead
• orchard
• ranch