: an area over which a foreign nation or state extends or maintains control
a former colony
"British America" in 1776 signified not only the thirteen colonies and [the historical region called] the Floridas, but also Canada, Nova Scotia, and Britain's Caribbean colonies … Linda Colley
also: a group of people who establish residence in that area and who retain ties with the parent state
members of Plymouth colony
2
: a group of people who settle together in a new place
… building an ecosystem from scratch on Mars that can provide food, water and oxygen to support a colony is no small task. Eric Mack
also: the land or buildings used by such a group
… suggested … the possibility that crops grown inside the [theoretical Mars] colony would produce suffocating levels of oxygen. Scott Dance
3
: a distinguishable localized population of a species or type of organism
a colony of termites/ants
The birds [black skimmers] generally nest in colonies along beaches, with the largest colony in Florida residing on Marco Island. Karl Schneider
4
a
: a circumscribed mass of microorganisms usually growing in or on a solid medium
A new coral colony is begun when a planula settles down on a reef, attaches itself there, and forms the first polyp, from which others bud. Joseph E. Neigel and John C. Avise
5
: a group of individuals or things with common characteristics or interests living in close association
an artist colony
a nudist colony
also: the land or buildings used by such a group
6
: a group of persons institutionalized away from others
Massachusetts was one of the original 13 British colonies that later became the United States. a former French colony in Africa
Recent Examples on the WebHong Kong dollars issued after Britain handed its colony back to Beijing in 1997 feature Chinese dragons and skyscrapers on the Asian financial center's skyline. Kelvin Chan, ajc, 10 Sep. 2022 Hong Kong dollars issued after Britain handed its colony back to Beijing in 1997 feature Chinese dragons and skyscrapers on the Asian financial center's skyline. Kelvin Chan, Chron, 10 Sep. 2022 Just to the east, on Tyson Street, a group of do-it-yourself home renovators were establishing their own colony. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 3 Sep. 2022 Thanks to Porter, Baumgartner was able to conjure the lives of the Black Seminoles and the runaways in their colony. Scott Dalton, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 July 2022 Many of her contemporaries moved there in the past year, after Britain eased immigration rules for residents of its former colony in response to tighter national security rules in Hong Kong. Natasha Khan, WSJ, 29 June 2022 Buzz undertakes hyperspeed test flights to figure out how to get their ship home, and each four-minute trip equals four years on their space colony. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 16 June 2022 For the first time since our colony’s founding in 1663, the public’s right to the shore had been significantly curtailed. Sean Lyness, BostonGlobe.com, 3 June 2022 Reed is seen publicly for the first time in months in a court appearance via video link from his prison colony for an appeals hearing. Conor Finnegan, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English colonie, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin colonia, from colonus farmer, colonist, from colere to cultivate — more at wheel
1country ruled by another country殖民地ADJECTIVE | VERB + COLONY | PREPOSITIONADJECTIVE➤overseas海外殖民地◇Britain's overseas colonies英國的海外殖民地➤American, British, French, etc.美國、英國、法國等的殖民地➤former前殖民地◇the former Portuguese colony of Macao前葡萄牙殖民地澳門➤independent, self-governing獨立的/自治殖民地▸➤penal, plantation流放地;種植園殖民地VERB + COLONY➤establish建立殖民地◇Settlers established a new colony in the early 18th century.移民在 18 世紀早期建立了一個新的殖民地。PREPOSITION➤in a/the colony在殖民地colony
noun²
2group of animals/plants生物群體ADJECTIVE | VERB + COLONY | PREPOSITIONADJECTIVE➤huge, large, thriving大群體;繁榮的群體▸➤small小群體▸➤breeding, nesting繁殖/巢居群體▸➤ant, bird, seal, etc.蟻群、鳥群、海豹群等VERB + COLONY➤form形成群體◇Some of the insects will leave to form a new colony.其中一些昆蟲會離群去組成一個新的群體。PREPOSITION➤in a/the colony以群體的方式◇The birds nest in huge colonies.這些鳥大群大群地巢居。➤colony of一群⋯◇a colony of ants一群螞蟻