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 body
2 : 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 animal
4 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 group
5 : a group of persons institutionalized away from others <a leper colony> <a penal colony>; also : the land or buildings occupied by such a group