Colonizable

/ˈkoʊlənɪzəbəl/ adjective

Definition

Capable of being colonized; able to be settled, occupied, or populated by colonists or microorganisms.

Etymology

From 'colonize' (verb) + '-able' (adjective-forming suffix). American spelling; British English uses 'colonisable.' The term gained prominence in the 19th-20th centuries.

Kelly Says

This word has a troubling history—European powers used it to classify territories as 'colonizable' based on racist ideas about which places and peoples were worth conquering, essentially using language to justify violence.

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