proprietary colony

Meaning

1. 1nouncountabletechnical

   A colony that the crown gave to one person or a small group, who owned the land and ran the government.

   Grammar: Mostly used in discussing early American history: Maryland was a proprietary colony.

   Patterns

   • a proprietary colony of someone
   • become a proprietary colony

   Maryland began as a proprietary colony under Lord Baltimore.

   Pennsylvania was a proprietary colony granted to William Penn.

   A proprietary colony gave its owner wide powers over settlers.

Word forms

Common combinations

establish a proprietary colony

The king allowed him to establish a proprietary colony.

governor of a proprietary colony

The governor of the proprietary colony answered to its owner.

become a royal colony

The proprietary colony later became a royal colony.

proprietary colonies in America

Several proprietary colonies in America were granted to nobles.

proprietary charter

The proprietary charter gave the owner control of trade.

Synonyms and how they differ

owner colony

This is a rare descriptive term, while proprietary colony is the standard historical label.

royal colony

A royal colony was ruled directly by the crown, which is the opposite arrangement.

charter colony

A charter colony governed itself under a charter given to settlers, not to private owners.

Opposites

Word family

proprietor noun

an owner, especially of a business or colony

proprietary adjective

relating to an owner or ownership

proprietorship noun

the state of being an owner

colonist noun

a settler in a colony

Commonly confused: proprietary colony or royal colony?

Practice

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