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 colonel2: 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