Main Entry:: col·o·ny
Pronunciation:: \ˈkä-lə-nē\
Function:: noun
Inflected Form(s):: plural col·o·nies
Etymology:: Middle English colonie, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin colonia, from colonus farmer, colonist, from colere to cultivate — more at wheel
Date:: 14th century

1 a: a body of people living in a new territory but retaining ties with the parent state b: the territory inhabited by such a body2: a distinguishable localized population within a species <a colony of termites>3 a: a circumscribed mass of microorganisms usually growing in or on a solid medium b: the aggregation of zooids of a compound animal4 a: a group of individuals or things with common characteristics or interests situated in close association <an artist colony> b: the section occupied by such a group5: a group of persons institutionalized away from others <a leper colony> <a penal colony> ; also : the land or buildings occupied by such a group

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