colonel

noun

col·​o·​nel ˈkər-nᵊl 

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 U.S.

—used as an honorific title

colonelcy

ˈkər-nᵊl-sē 

noun

Did you know?

English colonel is pronounced the same as kernel. This seems odd, but there is an explanation. In many languages when a word contains two identical or similar sounds, one of these sounds will often change over a period of time. This kind of change is called dissimilation. So when the Italian word colonello was taken into French, it became coronel; and the word was borrowed by the English from the French in this form. Later the spelling colonel came to be used in order to reflect the Italian origin of the word. But by then the pronunciation with r was well established.

Examples of colonel in a Sentence

He retired as a colonel in the air force.

Recent Examples on the Web

Suddenly, Lockjaw, now a colonel, is motivated to capture Willa and hunt down Bob, and the rest of the film involves the motives for his pursuit, the efforts of Bob and Willa to evade capture, their resulting separation, and their daring struggle to reunite. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025

In the shadow of a former lover (Teyana Taylor) and under the protection of an ultra-chill revolutionary in arms (del Toro), DiCaprio is swept up in a world of violence and revenge — to say nothing of the terrifying oddball military colonel (Sean Penn) out for blood. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025

The film focuses on the power grabbing tête-à-tête between both Sarah and Abigail, with the latter even marrying a colonel in order to regain her nobility. —Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 23 Sep. 2025

While seated across from Weaver's character Ward, a colonel and leader of the New Republic's Adelphi Rangers, Grogu attempts to use his telekinesis to bring a bowl of food toward himself. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing colonel

• bird colonel
• chicken colonel
• lieutenant colonel

Rhymes for colonel

• diurnal
• eternal
• external
• fraternal
• infernal
• internal
• maternal
• nocturnal
• paternal
• pimpernel
• journal
• kernel

Kids Definition

colonel

noun

col·​o·​nel ˈkərn-ᵊl 

: a military commissioned officer ranking just below a brigadier general

colonelcy

-sē 

noun

Etymology

an altered form of earlier coronel "colonel," from early French coronel (same meaning), from early Italian colonnello "colonel, column of soldiers," derived from Latin columna "column" — related to column