Colony

n. pl. Colonies (kŏl"ô*nĭz).
  1. A company of people transplanted from their mother country to a remote province or country, and remaining subject to the jurisdiction of the parent state; as, the British colonies in America.
  2. The district or country colonized; a settlement.
  3. a territory subject to the ruling governmental authority of another country and not a part of the ruling country.
  4. A company of persons from the same country sojourning in a foreign city or land; as, the American colony in Paris.
  5. (Nat. Hist.) A number of animals or plants living or growing together, beyond their usual range.
  6. (Bot.) A cell family or group of common origin, mostly of unicellular organisms, esp. among the lower algæ. They may adhere in chains or groups, or be held together by a gelatinous envelope.
  7. (Zoöl.) A cluster or aggregation of zooids of any compound animal, as in the corals, hydroids, certain tunicates, etc.
  8. (Zoöl.) A community of social insects, as ants, bees, etc.
  9. (Microbiology) a group of microorganisms originating as the descendents of one individual cell, growing on a gelled growth medium, as of gelatin or agar; especially, such a group that has grown to a sufficient number to be visible to the naked eye.