subcolony

noun

sub·​col·​o·​ny ˌsəb-ˈkä-lə-nē 

variants or sub-colony

plural subcolonies or sub-colonies

: a colony that is a subdivision of a larger colony

a breeding subcolony of penguins

… the connections between mother cities and their colonies and among the colonies and subcolonies … all created a new kind of 'Greek' convergence in the ancient Mediterranean.

—Irad Malkin

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above