[col.o.ny] n, pl -nies [ME colonie, fr. MF & L; MF, fr. L colonia, fr. colonus farmer, colonist, fr. colere to cultivate--more at wheel] (14c) 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 "~ of termites" 3 a: a circumscribed mass of microorganisms usu. 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 ~" b: the section occupied by such a group
5: a group of persons institutionalized away from others "a leper ~" "a penal ~"; also: the land or buildings occupied by such a group