"Collins English Dictionary" defines colonialism as "the policy and practice of a power in extending control over weaker peoples or areas". "Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary" defines colonialism as "the system or policy of a nation seeking to extend or retain its authority over other people or territories". The "Merriam-Webster Dictionary" offers four definitions, including "something characteristic of a colony" and "control by one power over a dependent area or people". Etymologically, the word "" comes from the Latin ""—"a place for agriculture".