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Where does the word "colony" come from? It comes from Latin colonia, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).
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Where does the word "colony" come from? It comes from Latin colonia, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).
Colony’s story begins in Latin: colonia meant “settlement.” From 'colonus', farmer, from 'colere', to cultivate. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as colonie. Roman colonies of veteran soldiers. It reached English by 1400s as colony. Cologne in Germany is named after a Roman 'colonia'. Today, colony means a territory settled and controlled by another country.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient colonia "settlement", from 'colonus', farmer, from 'colere', to cultivate.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval colonie "colony", Roman colonies of veteran soldiers.
- Stage 3 · English · 1400s colony "settlement", Cologne in Germany is named after a Roman 'colonia'.