Royal Colony Definition & Meaning

American

Examples

royal colony American [roi-uhl kol-uh-nee] / ˈrɔɪ əl ˈkɒl ə ni /

noun

1. a colony ruled or administered by officials appointed by and responsible to the reigning sovereign of the parent state.

2. American History. a colony, as New York, administered by a royal governor and council appointed by the British crown, and having a representative assembly elected by the people.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The exhibit highlights the period when South Carolina transitioned under the rule of Great Britain from a proprietary colony run by a businessman or other leader to a royal colony with more involvement from the king.

From Washington Times

When, in 1762, the 73-year-old governor of the royal colony of North Carolina married a 15-year-old girl, the marriage lasted just three years before he died.

From Slate

The project adopted by them was, to plant a royal colony of each nation, on some one island, and at the same time; by which a constant mutual support would be secured.

From Project Gutenberg

Fletcher introduced the royal colony type of government, selecting a council and summoning an elective assembly from both the upper and lower counties.

From Project Gutenberg

Massachusetts charter of 1691.—The form of government established in the Province of Massachusetts Bay was a compromise between the old independent form of earlier days and the type of the royal colony.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.