colonisation
colonisation — noun
1. The action of one country sending its citizens to settle in another country, tak
The action of one country sending its citizens to settle in another country, taking over its land and ruling its people, often by force.
The colonisation of Brazil by Portugal began in the early sixteenth century.
pattern: the colonisation of + place
Léa wrote her thesis on the long-term effects of European colonisation in West Africa.
Many indigenous languages have struggled to survive since the colonisation of the Americas.
The museum's new exhibition examines British colonisation through letters, maps, and personal objects.
- imperialism
broader; covers political and economic dominance even without settlers
- colonialism
the system or ideology behind colonisation; colonisation is the act itself
- occupation
usually shorter and military; colonisation suggests long-term settling
- decolonisation
the reversal: colonies regaining independence
- independence
the resulting state for the formerly ruled territory
文法句型
the colonisation of + place
用法筆記
Usually uncountable and followed by 'of + country' to name the territory taken. The American spelling is 'colonization'. Often pairs with negative or critical evaluation; modern academic writing rarely uses it as a neutral term.
常見錯誤
2. The process by which animals, plants, or tiny living things move into a new plac
The process by which animals, plants, or tiny living things move into a new place and begin to live, grow, and multiply there.
Soraya studied the rapid colonisation of the lava field by hardy pioneer plants.
pattern: colonisation of + habitat
Bacterial colonisation of the wound had to be controlled before surgery could continue.
domain: medicine; collocation: bacterial colonisation
Climate change is allowing the colonisation of British waters by warmer-sea fish species.
Esteban observed slow moss colonisation on the granite boulders behind the cabin.
- infestation
negative; suggests harmful or unwanted organisms
- settlement
more general; less common in biology
- extinction
the disappearance of a species from an area
- eradication
deliberate removal of organisms from a place
文法句型
colonisation of + habitat
用法筆記
Always uncountable. Common in ecology and microbiology, where the subject is usually 'bacterial', 'fungal', 'plant', or 'animal' colonisation. Distinguish from sense 1 by what is doing the settling: humans → sense 1; non-humans → sense 2.