Main Entry: col·o·nel

Pronunciation: \ˈkər-n^əl\

Function: noun

Etymology: alteration of coronel, from Middle French, modification of Old Italian colonnello column of soldiers, colonel, diminutive of colonna column, from Latin columna

Date: 1567

1 a : a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general b : lieutenant colonel
2 : a minor titular official of a state especially in southern or midland United States —used as an honorific title

— col·o·nel·cy \-n^əl-sē\ noun