colony

CEFRB1

/ˈkɒl.ə.ni/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A country or area controlled by another country.

  2. 02

    noun

    A group of animals or plants living together.

Examples

  • At one time Nigeria was a British colony.

  • The ants built a large colony under the old oak tree.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈkɔlənɪj/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A group of people who settle an area and maintain ties to their country of origin.

  2. A geographical area under the remote control of a country; especially to extract resources or exploit labor from that area.

  3. A group of people with similar interests, occupations, or characteristics, living in a particular area; the area such people occupy.

More examples

In context

  • The colony declared independence and became a republic.

  • Bermuda is a crown colony of Great Britain.

  • Much of the eastern United States was formerly a British colony; other areas were French, Spanish, Dutch, or Swedish colonies.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Each blank established its own government and trade rules far away.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.