What does colonist mean?
A colonist is a person who settles in a territory away from their homeland, typically as part of a group establishing a colony under the authority or sponsorship of a colonizing power. The term is most closely associated with the waves of European settlement in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania from the sixteenth century onward — figures such as the passengers of the Mayflower are archetypal colonists in historical memory. The word is generally neutral in tone, though its connotations vary sharply by context: in discussions of imperial history it may carry implications of dispossession suffered by indigenous peoples, whereas in speculative fiction 'colonist' often describes brave pioneers opening new worlds. It derives from the Latin 'colonus', meaning farmer or tiller of land, reflecting the fact that ancient Roman colonies began as agricultural settlements. Related terms include colony, colonial, and colonialism, and it should not be confused with colonialist, which denotes an adherent of colonization as a policy rather than a settler themselves.
nounA person who settles in and establishes a colony in a new territory, especially one sent or permitted to settle by a colonizing power.
- A person who settles in a colony established in a new territory.
- More broadly, any settler in a region newly opened to habitation.
"The early colonists of Jamestown endured a brutal winter that killed more than half the settlement."
"The Mayflower's passengers became some of the most famous colonists in American history."
"As a colonist on the frontier, she learned to build, farm, and defend her homestead with little outside help."
Standard plural; used for groups of settlers collectively.
"The colonists declared independence from the distant crown."
The word 'colonist' comes from Latin 'colonus' — a farmer — because Rome's earliest colonies were literally settlements of citizen-farmers planted on conquered land.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of colonist
Colonist derives from the Latin 'colonus', meaning a farmer or tiller of land, via 'colonia', the Latin word for a settled estate or outpost. Ancient Roman colonies were originally settlements of citizen-farmers planted on conquered territory, which is why the root carries an agricultural sense. English adopted the noun in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, as overseas settlement accelerated, forming it directly from 'colony' with the agentive suffix '-ist'. Cognates include colony, colonial, and colonization, all tracing back to the same Latin root, which also gave rise to words like 'culture' through its connection to tilling and cultivating land ('colere').
How colonist is actually used
The word is neutral in register but carries different connotations depending on context: in accounts of European colonization it can evoke displacement of indigenous peoples, while in science fiction it often means simply a pioneer settler. 'Colonist' refers to the individual settler, whereas 'colonizer' more often denotes the state or agent doing the colonizing.
Easily confused with colonist
A colonist is an individual who settles in a colony, while a colonialist is a person who supports the policy or ideology of establishing colonies.