colonel

Meaning

Noun

1. A commissioned officer in an armed military organization, typically the highest rank before flag officer ranks (generals). It is generally found in armies, air forces or naval infantry (marines).
2. (historical) A military leader, distinct from the modern professional military rank.
3. An honorary civilian title bestowed by some southern US states, most commonly Kentucky; notably Colonel Sanders of KFC.
4. (Southern-US, dated) An informal title used to address an elderly man.
5. (US) A form of address for an auctioneer, from the American Civil War practice of commanding officers organizing the public sale of seized goods.

Verb

To act as or like a colonel.

Synonyms

military officer

captain

group captain

major

officer

Col.

air force

chicken colonel

headmost

lieutenant

Translations

colonel

colonnello

kolonel

coronel

Oberst

συνταγματάρχης

coronel

albay

συνταγματάρχης siˌdaɣmaˈtarçis

coronel

Obrist

كولونيل

colonello

σμήναρχος

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkɜːnəl/

Etymology

First attested in the 1540s, from Middle French coronnel, from Old Italian colonnello (“the officer of a small company of soldiers (column) that marched at the head of a regiment”), from compagnia colonnella (“little column company”), from Latin columna (“pillar”), originally a collateral form of columen, contraction culmen (“a pillar, top, crown, summit”), o-grade form from a Proto-Indo-European *kelH- (“to rise, be elevated, be prominent”). See hill, holm.
The French spelling was reformed late 16th century. The English spelling was modified in 1580s in learned writing to conform to the Italian form (via translations of Italian military manuals), and differing pronunciations (either with "r" or "l") coexisted until around 1650, where it came to be pronounced with "r" only. Spanish and Portuguese coronel, also from Italian, shows similar evolution by dissimilation and perhaps by influence of corona.

Sentences

Close shot of the COLONEL .