A person who settles in a newly established colony; a member of a group establishing or living in a colonial settlement.
From Latin 'colonus' (settler/farmer) + English '-ist' suffix. The term emerged in English in the 16th-17th centuries as European powers established overseas settlements. Related to 'colon' (a settler in ancient Rome).
The term 'colonist' often gets applied to European settlers in places like America, but it actually applies to anyone settling new territory—yet the term became weighted with European associations, showing how language can invisibly center certain groups as 'normal.'
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