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colonel
5 dictionary results for: Colonel
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
colo·nel 
[kur-nl] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[kur-nl] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | an officer in the U.S. Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps ranking between lieutenant colonel and brigadier general: corresponding to a captain in the U.S. Navy. |
| 2. | a commissioned officer of similar rank in the armed forces of some other nations. |
| 3. | an honorary title bestowed by some Southern states, as to those who have brought honor to the state, prominent businesspersons, visiting celebrities, or the like: When the vice president visited the state he was made a Kentucky colonel. |
| 4. | Older Use. (in the South) a title of respect prefixed to the name of distinguished elderly men. |
[Origin: 1540–50; < MF < It colon(n)ello = colonn(a) column + -ello < L -ellus dim. suffix; so named because such an officer orig. headed the first column or company of a regiment]
] —Related forms
colo·nel·cy, noun
—Pronunciation note Colonel
[kur-nl] Pronunciation Key, with its medial l pronounced as [r], illustrates one source for the apparent vagaries of English spelling: divergence between a word's orthographic development and its established pronunciation. In this case, English borrowed from French two variant forms of the same word, one pronounced with medial and final [l], and a second reflecting dissimilation of the first [l] to [r]. After a period of competition, the dissimilated form triumphed in pronunciation, while the spelling colonel became the orthographic standard.
[kur-nl] Pronunciation Key, with its medial l pronounced as [r], illustrates one source for the apparent vagaries of English spelling: divergence between a word's orthographic development and its established pronunciation. In this case, English borrowed from French two variant forms of the same word, one pronounced with medial and final [l], and a second reflecting dissimilation of the first [l] to [r]. After a period of competition, the dissimilated form triumphed in pronunciation, while the spelling colonel became the orthographic standard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| colo·nel
(kûr'nəl) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Alteration of obsolete coronel, from French, from Old Italian colonello, from diminutive of colonna, column of soldiers, from Latin columna, column; see kel-2 in Indo-European roots.] colo'nel·cy, colo'nel·ship' n. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
colonel
colonel
1548, coronell, from M.Fr. coronel, modified by dissimilation from It. colonnella "commander of a column of soldiers at the head of a regiment," from compagna colonella "little column company," from L. columna "pillar" (see hill). Eng. spelling modified 1583 to conform with It., but the earlier pronunciation was retained.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| colonel | |
noun | |
| a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Colonel
Colo"nel\, n. [F. colonel, It. colonello, prop., the chief or commander of a column, fr. colonna column, L. columna. See Column.] (Mil.) The chief officer of a regiment; an officer ranking next above a lieutenant colonel and next below a brigadier general.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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