proprietary colony
- noun
- /prəˈpraɪəˌtɛri ˈkɒləni/
- Unlike a royal colony, a proprietary colony was governed by individuals with authority from the crown.
Examples
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Unlike many other colonies, a proprietary colony was managed by an individual who had received land from the crown.
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Maryland was originally established as a proprietary colony granted to Lord Baltimore.
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Several American colonies, including Pennsylvania, began as proprietary colonies before becoming royal colonies.
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Maryland was a famous proprietary colony established by Lord Baltimore.
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The proprietary colonies were crucial in the early development of America.
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In the 1600s, Maryland was established as a proprietary colony under the leadership of Lord Baltimore.
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The governor of the proprietary colony of Pennsylvania had significant powers, including making laws and managing land.
Synonyms
An area ruled by a more powerful foreign country
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally transparent in that 'proprietary' (privately owned) plus 'colony' (a territory governed by another power) yields the basic idea of a colony under private ownership, so a B1 learner who knows both words would grasp the general meaning. However, the specific historical/legal nuance — that the crown granted governing rights to an individual proprietor — is a specialized sense not fully predictable from the parts, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
The term proprietary colony comes from the idea that the king gave a piece of land and the right to rule it to one person or group. That person acted like a private proprietor—an 'owner'—who ran the colony, so the phrase means a colony owned and governed by an individual rather than directly by the king.