Colony
/ˈkɒləni/
nounBeginner📊CommonGroup
1 meaning2 questions
Definitions
1
A group of people who leave their native country to settle in a new place, often under the rule of their original country.
/ˈkɒləni/
nounneutralBeginner
Group
A group of people who settle in a new place
The colony thrived in its new location.
💡 Simply: Imagine a bunch of friends moving to a new place to start a community together. That's a colony!
👶 For kids: A group of people or animals living together.
More Examples
2
The ant colony was bustling with activity.
How It's Used
History
"The British established many colonies in North America."
Biology
"A colony of ants lived under the porch."
From Middle French colonie, from Late Latin colonia, from Latin colōnia, from colōnus 'settler'.
The word 'colony' has been used since the 16th century to describe settlements established by European powers.
Memory tip
Think of 'colon' as in the large intestine - many bacteria live together in a colony in your gut!
Word Origin
Original meaning
"a farm, settlement"
Base: colony
colony of antsplant colonybacterial colony
Common misspellings
coloneycolonie
Practice
Usage
30%Spoken
70%Written