Main Entry: col·umn

Pronunciation: \ˈkä-ləm also ˈkäl-yəm\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English columne, from Anglo-French columpne, from Latin columna, from columen top; akin to Latin collis hill — more at hill

Date: 15th century

1 a : a vertical arrangement of items printed or written on a page b : one of two or more vertical sections of a printed page separated by a rule or blank space c : an accumulation arranged vertically : stack d : one in a usually regular series of newspaper or magazine articles <gossip column>
2 : a supporting pillar; especially : one consisting of a usually round shaft, a capital, and a base
3 a : something resembling a column in form, position, or function <a column of water> b : a tube or cylinder in which a chromatographic separation takes place
4 : a long row (as of soldiers)
5 : one of the vertical lines of elements of a determinant or matrix
6 : a statistical category or grouping <put another game in the win column>

— col·umned \-ləmd, -yəmd\ adjective

[column illustration]