This is the 9063rd most frequent French word.
colonies
Territories controlled or settled by a distant country.
Here, 'colonies' refers to territories that were under French control or administration during the colonial era.
Les colonies françaises en Afrique furent nombreuses.
The French colonies in Africa were numerous.
In this sentence, 'colonies' is used to denote a group or collective living of ants, representing a biological or ecological term.
Les colonies de fourmis sont fascinantes à observer.
Ant colonies are fascinating to observe.
Here, 'colonies' refers to holiday camps, which are organized vacations for children, a common term in French educational and social context.