Meaning

noun a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government

noun a community of people smaller than a town

noun a conclusive resolution of a matter and disposition of it

originEtymology tree English settle Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-mentom Latin -mentum Old French -mentbor. Middle English -ment English -ment English settlement From settle + -ment.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0