Webster's English Dictionary

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colony

col.o.ny \'ka:l-*-ne-\ n [ME colonie, fr. MF & L; MF, fr. L colonia, fr. 
   colonus farme] often attrib r, colonist, fr. colere to cultivate - more at 
   WHEEL 1a: a body of people living in a new territory but retaining ties 
   with the  parent state 1b: the territory inhabited by such a body  2: a 
   distinguishable localized population within a species {~ of te rmites} 3a: 
   a circumscribed mass of microorganisms usu. growing in or on a solid me 
   dium 3b: the aggregation of zooids of a compound animal  4a: a group of 
   individuals with common characteristics or interests situate d in close 
   association 4b: the section occupied by such a group