dependency

Compared meaning: a territory controlled by another country (noun).

比较义项：受他国控制的国家或地区（名词）。

• colony

  Especially implies a territory once settled and governed by people from the controlling country; strongly associated with historical colonization and colonial-era rule.

  尤指曾被殖民国移民定居并统治的领土，与历史上的殖民统治和移民定居密切相关。

  India was once a colony of the British Empire for two centuries.

  印度曾是大英帝国的殖民地长达两个世纪。

• dependency 本词

  A more formal, legal term for a territory under another country's authority, without implying settlement; typically used for present-day non-independent territories rather than historical colonies.

  是较正式、法律化的说法，指受他国管辖的领土，不一定意味着有移民定居，通常用于指现今仍未独立的属地，而非历史殖民地。

  Puerto Rico is a dependency of the United States, not a state.

  波多黎各是美国的一个属地，而不是一个州。

Colony and dependency both mean a territory controlled by another country. Colony implies a territory once settled and governed by people from the controlling country, linked to colonization. Dependency is a more formal, legal term for such a territory, without implying settlement, for present-day territories.

二者都指“受他国控制、不独立的领土”，但colony强调历史上由移民定居并统治的殖民地，带有殖民、移民色彩；dependency则是较正式、法律化的说法，不一定涉及移民定居，多用于指现今仍未独立的属地。这里不比较colony在生物学中“同种生物聚居的群落”这一义项（如蚂蚁的群落）。