colonist
/ˈkɒlənɪst/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkɑːlənɪst/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkä-lə-nist/ (ame, mw)
colonist — noun
- colonistsingular
- colonistsplural
1. A person who moves from one country to a new area — often one that their home go
A person who moves from one country to a new area — often one that their home government claims or controls — to build a home and live there, usually as part of a larger group of arriving people.
Portuguese colonists built a small church on the hill where the village now stands.
pattern: nationality + colonists as subject
The early colonists struggled to grow crops because the soil was very different from what they knew in Europe.
collocation: early colonists; reason clause with because
A group of French colonists arrived on the island in 1635 and named the settlement Nouvelle-Provence.
Many colonists brought seeds and farm animals from their home countries to start new farms.
- settler
More neutral; can describe anyone who moves to a new, unpopulated area, not necessarily within a colonial system.
- pioneer
Focuses on being among the first to explore or develop a new place, often with a sense of adventure.
- colonizer
Emphasizes the act of taking control of land; often carries a stronger political or critical tone.
- native
A person who was already living in the land before the colonists arrived.
用法筆記
Often paired with a nationality adjective (British, French, Spanish) to show which country the colonists came from. Frequently appears in historical writing about the 16th–19th centuries.