Agency Dictionary
Settlement
nounPronunciation: /ˈsɛt.əl.mənt/
In Portuguese: Assentamento
History & Civilizations
Society & PoliticsWhat does “Settlement” mean?
A small community or newly established village formed by migrating individuals settling in an area.
Etymology
From settle (from Old English setlan, to cause to sit, to place, establish) with the nominal suffix -ment. Old English setlan traces to setl (a seat, throne, abode). The word came to name a newly established community in a previously unsettled or sparsely settled area.
Usage note
Settlement in this context means a small pioneer community. The word also has a separate legal and financial sense: the resolving of a dispute or the paying of what is owed.
Synonyms
- hamlet
- village
- outpost
- colony
Word family
- settle
- settler
- settled
- unsettled
Usage examples
I'm from a small town in the west of Santa Catarina, where there are beautiful settlements and small towns where Italian and German immigrants settled in the late 19th century.
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
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