colonus

[ kuh-loh-nuhs ]

noun

, plural co·lo·ni [k, uh, -, loh, -nahy, -nee].

1. a serf in the latter period of the Roman Empire or in the early feudal period.

Word History and Origins

Origin of colonus¹

First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin colōnus “inhabitant of a colony, tenant farmer, farmer,” derivative of colere “to inhabit, till, cultivate”; cult, cultivate

Example Sentences

Breuer, an innovative director who was a founding member of the avant-garde theater troupe Mabou Mines, and Telson, a versatile composer and songwriter drawn to mercurial film and theater projects, chose “Oedipus at Colonus” for an experiment in adaptation.

From Los Angeles Times

“Oedipus at Colonus,” which picks up the story long after Oedipus has gouged out his eyes and has been exiled from Thebes, a wanderer bearing the shame of incest and parricide, doesn’t abide by the structural conventions that Sophocles established in his earlier play “Oedipus the King.”

From Los Angeles Times

In “Oedipus at Colonus,” Sophocles is consumed with the prospect of salvation after prolonged suffering.

From Los Angeles Times

“The Gospel at Colonus,” which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1983 and was presented on television in 1985 featuring crucial original cast members Morgan Freeman and Clarence Fountain, reveals the vibrancy of the theatrical parallels.

From Los Angeles Times

Lee Breuer and Bob Telson’s “The Gospel at Colonus,” this year’s livelier-than-usual outdoor theater production at the Getty Villa, combines disparate ritual traditions.

From Los Angeles Times