Main Entry: col·o·nize Pronunciation: 'käl-&-"nIz Function: verb Inflected Forms: -nized; -niz·ing transitivesenses 1: to establish a colony in or on colonizing a great variety of hosts —W.H. Dowdeswell> 2: to isolate in supervised groups colonizeintransitive senses of microorganisms: to become established in a habitat (as a host or a wound)colonize in other parts of the body —R.A. Runnells> —col·o·ni·za·tion/"käl-&-n&-'zA-sh&n/noun