Colony
/ˈkɑː.lə.ni/noun
A group of people living in a new territory under the control of a parent state, or a community of organisms living together.
Did you know?*Colony* comes from Latin *colonia*, a term tied to *colonus* (“farmer, settler”), which is why its oldest meaning is grounded in cultivation before it became a word for conquest.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kwel-
“to dwell, settle, or turn around”
Latin
Latin
colere
“to cultivate, tend, inhabit”
Latin
Latin
colonus
“a farmer, settler, or tenant”
Latin
Latin
colonia
“a farm, settlement, or outpost of Roman citizens”
Old French
Old French
colonie
“a settlement, especially one founded by a state”
Modern English
English
colony
“a dependent settlement or group living under outside control”
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