WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Col"o*ny
Part of Speech : n.;
Etymology : [L. colonia, fr. colonus farmer, fr. colere to cultivate, dwell: cf. F. colonie. Cf. Culture.]
Definition : 1. A company of people transplanted from their mother country to a remote province or country, and remaining subject to the jurisdiction of the parent state; as, the British colonies in America. The first settlers of New England were the best of Englishmen, well educated, devout Christians, and zealous lovers of liberty. There was never a colony formed of better materials. Ames.

2. The district or country colonized; a settlement.

3. A company of persons from the same country sojourning in a foreign city or land; as, the American colony in Paris.

4. (Nat. Hist.)

Defn: A number of animals or plants living or growing together, beyond their usual range.

pl. Colonies.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913