colonies
colonies — 名詞
- coloniessingular
- coloniesesplural
1. A territory or nation that is ruled by a foreign power that is usually far away.
殖民地
受外國統治的領土
A territory or nation that is ruled by a foreign power that is usually far away. The ruling country controls the colony's government, trade, and resources.
India was a British colony until it gained independence in 1947.
印度曾是英國的殖民地，直到 1947 年獨立。
countable noun: a British colony
European powers competed to establish colonies across Africa and Asia during the 1800s.
歐洲強權在 1800 年代競相在非洲和亞洲建立殖民地。
establish + colonies (verb-object collocation)
The small island was once a Dutch colony, and its architecture still shows that influence.
這個小島曾是荷蘭的殖民地，其建築風格仍可見當年的影響。
Many former colonies kept the language of their colonisers for use in schools and courts.
許多前殖民地選擇保留殖民者的語言，用於學校和法院。
- dependency
a territory that relies on a ruling country, more formal and legal in tone
- possession
emphasises ownership by the ruling power; slightly broader than colony
- protectorate
a territory that is protected by a stronger country but not fully controlled, a weaker form of colonial rule
- independent nation
a country that governs itself without foreign control
用法筆記
Also used in historical contexts to describe the territories of the British, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and other European empires. The plural form colonies often refers to a set of territories under one empire (e.g. 'the American colonies').
常見錯誤
✅ 'Taiwan was a colony of Japan.' — correct. This usage is appropriate for historical contexts.
2. People who leave their home country and travel to settle in a new territory, whi
移民群
在海外定居的母國人民
People who leave their home country and travel to settle in a new territory, while keeping their ties to their original homeland.
A colony of English settlers was established at Plymouth in 1620.
一群英國移民於 1620 年在普利茅斯建立了一個移民群。
colony of settlers (people-focused usage — group of people, not territory)
The Mayflower pilgrims formed a colony and faced a harsh winter with little food.
搭乘五月花號的清教徒們建立了一個移民群，度過了糧食短缺的嚴冬。
colony of + group of people
These early colonies in Australia were mostly made up of prisoners sent from Britain.
澳洲最早的這幾批移民群，大部分是由英國送來的囚犯所組成。
The Spanish established a colony of settlers in Florida in the 1500s.
西班牙人在 1500 年代在佛羅里達建立了一個移民群。
用法筆記
This sense focuses on the people themselves rather than the land they occupy. Distinguish from sense 1, which refers to the territory under control.
3. A community of people who share the same profession, interest, or background and
聚居區
同好或同業聚居的社群
A community of people who share the same profession, interest, or background and choose to live or work together in one place, often apart from the general population.
The town has a well-known artists' colony where painters and sculptors live and work together.
這個小鎮有個著名的藝術家聚居區，畫家和雕刻家在那裡共同生活和工作。
artists' colony (common compound noun)
During the 1960s, several communes and hippie colonies were set up in rural California.
1960 年代，加州鄉間出現了幾個公社和嬉皮聚居區。
Mira spent a summer at a writers' colony in Vermont to finish her novel.
Mira 在佛蒙特州的一個作家聚居區待了一整個夏天，以完成她的小說。
The retirement colony in Arizona is home to older people who enjoy the warm climate.
亞利桑那州的退休人士聚居區住了好幾千名喜愛溫暖氣候的長者。
用法筆記
Commonly used in compound nouns such as artists' colony, writers' colony, and nudist colony. These describe voluntary communities, unlike sense 2 which involves settlement under political authority.
4. Many creatures of one species — such as ants, bees, penguins, or corals — that l
群落
同種生物聚集的群體
Many creatures of one species — such as ants, bees, penguins, or corals — that live or grow together in a single place.
Cyrus watched a colony of ants carrying food across the garden path.
Cyrus 看著螞蟻群落沿著花園小徑搬運食物。
colony of ants / colony of termites (animal group)
The coral colony on the reef has been growing for over two hundred years.
珊瑚礁上的那簇珊瑚群落已經生長了超過兩百年。
A large colony of penguins gathered near the shore to keep warm during the storm.
大型企鵝群落聚集在岸邊，在暴風雨中互相取暖。
Scientists discovered a colony of rare bats living in the old mine tunnel.
科學家在舊礦坑隧道裡發現了稀有蝙蝠群落。
The beehive contains a colony of bees with one queen and thousands of workers.
蜂箱裡住著一個蜜蜂群落，有蜂后和成千上萬的工蜂。
用法筆記
In biology, colony describes a structured social group where members often have specific roles, especially among social insects (ants, bees, termites). For non-social animals, it simply means a large group in one location.
5. A residential area, usually enclosed by walls or fences, that contains housing b
員工住宅區
公司為員工建造的圍牆住宅區
A residential area, usually enclosed by walls or fences, that contains housing built by a company, organisation, or government for its workers to live in.
The mining company built a colony of small houses near the mine for its workers.
礦業公司在礦坑附近蓋了一區員工住宅供工人居住。
built a colony (verb-object pattern with physical housing)
Families in the factory colony shared a single water pump and a small general store.
工廠員工住宅區的住戶共用一個水泵和一家小雜貨店。
The prison guards lived in a colony just outside the main gate of the facility.
監獄管理員住在監獄大門外的一個員工住宅區。
Saira's grandparents grew up in a railway colony where every house looked the same.
Saira 的祖父母在一個鐵路員工住宅區長大，那裡的每間房子都一模一樣。
- housing estate
a planned residential area, more neutral without the employer-specific connotation
- company town
a town where most buildings and services are owned by one employer, broader in scope
用法筆記
This sense is especially common in Indian and South Asian English, where railway colonies and government employee colonies are widespread. In other varieties, housing estate or company town may be preferred.
6. A visible clump of microbes, such as bacteria or fungi, that forms when one orig
菌落
培養基上可見的微生物群
A visible clump of microbes, such as bacteria or fungi, that forms when one original cell multiplies on a nutrient surface in a lab.
Each white dot on the agar plate is a separate bacterial colony grown overnight.
洋菜膠片上的每個白點都是一個經過一夜培養的獨立細菌菌落。
bacterial colony / fungal colony (domain-specific collocation)
The lab technician counted the number of colonies on each petri dish to measure contamination.
實驗室技術員計算每個培養皿上的菌落數量，以判斷汙染程度。
Hiro took a single colony of E. coli and moved it to fresh culture medium.
Hiro 取出一個單一的大腸桿菌菌落，將其移到新鮮培養基中。
Different types of bacteria produce colonies of distinct colours, shapes, and sizes.
不同種類的細菌會產生顏色、形狀和大小各不相同的菌落。
- culture
the general term for growing microorganisms; a colony is a specific cluster within a culture
用法筆記
Used mainly in microbiology and laboratory settings. A colony forms when one bacterium reproduces many times in the same spot, creating a visible clump that can be seen without a microscope.