What does colony mean?
A colony is fundamentally a settlement: historically, a territory claimed and governed by a distant power, often populated by its emigrants, as with British, French, and Spanish colonies around the world. The word extends beyond politics to any cohesive group living together — an expatriate colony in Paris, an artists' colony by the sea — and, in science, to clusters of organisms such as bacterial or ant colonies. Derived from the Latin colonia, which traces back to colere, meaning to till or inhabit, the term originally referred to Roman settlements established on conquered farmland. Today, colony carries weighty connotations: in political contexts it evokes empire, exploitation, and the struggles that produced modern independence movements, making it central to discussions of colonial history. In everyday speech, however, it remains a neutral, versatile word for any body of people or creatures dwelling collectively in one place.
A country or area under the political control of a distant nation and occupied by settlers from it.
"India was once the most valuable colony in the British Empire."
A group of people of the same nationality or profession living together in a particular place, especially abroad.
"There is a large American colony in the city's riverside district."
Often used figuratively and positively, as in 'artists' colony' or 'retirement colony'.
In biology, a group of organisms of the same species living closely together, or a visible cluster of microorganisms grown from a single cell.
"Each bacterial colony on the agar plate originated from a single cell."
Regular plural; standard in both British and American English.
"The thirteen original colonies declared independence in 1776."
The word 'colony' comes from Latin 'colonia', rooted in 'colere' — to cultivate — so every colony was originally, literally, a farm.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of colony
The word colony entered English in the late Middle Ages from the Latin colonia, meaning a settled estate or outpost of citizens, itself derived from colonus, a farmer or tiller of land, and ultimately from the verb colere, to cultivate or dwell. The Romans used colonia for settlements planted on conquered territory, giving the word its enduring sense of people transplanted to new ground. Its English sense of a dependent overseas territory developed strongly during the age of European expansion from the sixteenth century onward. Cognates include colonial, colonist, and colonization, all built on the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How colony is actually used
The word carries strong historical and political connotations tied to imperialism, and in modern discourse it often appears critically when discussing colonial history. In biology, the term is neutral and technical. The figurative use for groups of artists, retirees, or expatriates living together is well established and generally positive.
Easily confused with colony
Colony is the noun for the territory or group itself, while colonial is an adjective describing anything relating to colonies.
A commune is a voluntary community sharing property and responsibilities, whereas a colony implies settlement in new territory or political control by a distant power.