plantation

noun

plan·​ta·​tion plan-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce plantation (audio)
1
: a usually large group of plants and especially trees under cultivation
2
: a settlement in a new country or region
Plymouth Plantation
3
a
: a place that is planted or under cultivation
b
: an agricultural estate usually worked by resident labor

Examples of plantation in a Sentence

the struggling plantation almost failed during the first winter
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
During the transatlantic slave trade, Tasso Island served as a plantation supplying food for captives and British troops stationed at nearby Bunce Island. Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025 The old rice plantation on Butler Island also has personal significance for Mitchell—her paternal ancestors are from McIntosh County and may have been enslaved there. Melissa L. Cooper, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025 Insults follow crimes; anonymous texts sent to Black people after the election ordered them to report to the nearest plantation to pick cotton. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024 This led some formerly enslaved people, such as a man named James Augustus, to return to the plantation. Nyya Toussaint / Made By History, TIME, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for plantation 

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of plantation was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near plantation

Cite this Entry

“Plantation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plantation. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

plantation

noun
plan·​ta·​tion plan-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce plantation (audio)
1
: a group of plants and especially trees planted and cared for
2
: a settlement in a new country or region : colony
3
: a planted area
especially : an agricultural estate worked by laborers

Geographical Definition

Plantation

geographical name

city in southeastern Florida west of Fort Lauderdale population 84,955

More from Merriam-Webster on plantation

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