plantation

¹

[ plan-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. a large farm or estate in a tropical or semitropical zone, for the cultivation of cotton, tobacco, coffee, sugarcane, etc., typically by enslaved, unpaid, or low-wage resident laborers.
2. a group of planted trees or plants.
3. History/Historical.
   1. a colony or new settlement.
   2. the establishment of a colony or new settlement.
4. Archaic. the planting of seeds, young trees, etc.

adjective

1. (of clothing, furnishings, etc.) suitable for a plantation or for a tropical or semitropical country.

Plantation

²

[ plan-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. a town in S Florida.

plantation

/ plænˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. an estate, esp in tropical countries, where cash crops such as rubber, oil palm, etc, are grown on a large scale
2. a group of cultivated trees or plants
3. (formerly) a colony or group of settlers
4. rare.
   the planting of seeds, shoots, etc

Other Words From

• plan·tation·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plantation¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English plantacioune, from Latin plantātiōn- (stem of plantātiō ) “a planting”; plant (verb), -ation

Example Sentences

Southeast Asia's tropical forests are renowned for their biodiversity, but at the same time face significant threats from the expansion of oil palm plantations.

From Science Daily

His farming career began in the 1970s when he inherited a rubber plantation in the the southern Indian state of Kerala , which he managed alongside his career as a doctor.

From BBC

When we first meet Louis in the film, he's a young plantation owner mourning the loss of his wife and child.

From Salon

Frederick Douglass depicted his plantation in Maryland as resembling “what the baronial domains were during the Middle Ages in Europe.”

From Salon

Authorities across the US are investigating after reports of text messages sent to black Americans with references to “slave catchers”, plantations and picking cotton.

From BBC

Related Words

• estate
• homestead
• orchard
• ranch