colony
/ˈkɔl.ə.ni/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.12 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A geographical area under the remote control of a country; especially to extract resources or exploit labor from that area.
noun
A group of people with similar interests, occupations, or characteristics, living in a particular area; the area such people occupy.
noun
A group of organisms of same or different species living together in close association.
noun
A local group of Beaver Scouts.
noun
A potential new chapter of a fraternity or sorority awaiting official recognition from their headquarters.
Example Sentences
- "Much of the eastern United States was formerly a British colony; other areas were French, Spanish, Dutch, or Swedish colonies."
- "Bermuda is a crown colony of Great Britain."
- "And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforeſaid, That in every Town in the Colony, where Bread is Baken for Sale, there ſhall be Choſen one Clerk of the Market, or more, as each Town ſhall find needful, at their Annual Election of Town Officers, who ſhall duly be Engaged, to the faithful performance of ſaid Office, as other Town Officers are ;[…]"
- "[…] money problems and refusal to supply them with British coins were two big reasons why the thirteen colonies rebelled and declared their independence."
- "a colony of British expats in Spain"
- "The Amana Colonies in Iowa were settled by people from Germany."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *kʷélh₁eti Proto-Italic *kʷelō Latin colō Latin colōnus Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin colōniader. Middle English colane English colony From Middle English colane, colonye, from Latin colōnia (“colony”), from colōnus (“farmer; colonist”), from colō (“till, cultivate, worship”), from earlier *quelō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to move; to turn (around)”). Doublet of Cologne, Colonia, and Köln.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *kʷel-, colane, colōnia
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkɔl.ə.ni/
- British English: /ˈkɒl.ə.ni/
Usage
Inflected Forms
colonies (plural)
colonies (present, singular)
colonying (participle, present)
colonied (participle, past)
colonied (past)