colonel
English
Alternative forms
- coronel (obsolete)
- col., Col. (abbreviation)
Etymology
Category:English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European#COLONELCategory:English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kelH-#COLONELFirst attested in the 1540s, from Middle FrenchCategory:English terms borrowed from Middle French#COLONELCategory:English terms derived from Middle French#COLONEL coronnel, from Old ItalianCategory:English terms derived from Old Italian#COLONEL colonnello (“the officer of a small company of soldiers (column) that marched at the head of a regiment”), from compagnia colonnella (“little column company”), from LatinCategory:English terms derived from Latin#COLONEL columna (“pillar”), originally a collateral form of columen, contraction culmen (“a pillar, top, crown, summit”), o-grade form from a Proto-Indo-EuropeanCategory:English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European#COLONEL *kelH- (“to rise, be elevated, be prominent”). See hill, holm.
The French spelling was reformed late 16th century. The English spelling was modified in 1580s in learned writing to conform to the Italian form (via translations of Italian military manuals), and differing pronunciations (either with "r" or "l") coexisted until around 1650, where it came to be pronounced with "r" only. Spanish and Portuguese coronel, also from Italian, shows similar evolution by dissimilation and perhaps by influence of corona.[1]
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈkɜː.nl̩/, [ˈkɜː.nl̩]Category:English 2-syllable words#COLONELCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#COLONEL
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈkɝ.nl̩/, [ˈkɝ.nl̩]Category:English 2-syllable words#COLONELCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#COLONEL
- (Indic, rhotic) IPA(key): /ˈkər(ɵ)nəl/Category:English 3-syllable words#COLONELCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#COLONEL
- (Indic, non-rhotic) IPA(key): /ˈkɜ(rɵ)nəl/Category:English 3-syllable words#COLONELCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#COLONEL
- Homophone: kernel (most accents)Category:English terms with homophones#COLONEL
- Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)nəlCategory:Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)nəl#COLONELCategory:Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)nəl/2 syllables#COLONEL
The anomalous pronunciation is a holdover of the pronunciation of the earlier, now obsolete form coronel, which was used simultaneously for a while.[2]
Noun
colonel (plural colonels)Category:English lemmas#COLONELCategory:English nouns#COLONELCategory:English countable nouns#COLONELCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#COLONELCategory:Pages with entries#COLONELCategory:Pages with 3 entries#COLONEL
- A commissioned officer in an armed military organization, typically the highest rank before flag officer ranks (generals). It is generally found in armies, air forces or naval infantry (marines).
- 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
- The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast: Greystone long and stringy, with a face that seemed as if a cold wind was eternally playing on it. […] But there was not a more lascivious reprobate and gourmand in all London than this same Greystone.Category:English terms with quotations#COLONEL
- (historicalCategory:English terms with historical senses#COLONEL) A military leader, distinct from the modern professional military rank.
- 2009, Ranulph Fiennes, chapter 21, in Mad Dogs and Englishmen: An Expedition Round My Family, London: Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 284:
- General Charles-Maximilian Fiennes was made colonel of the army.Category:English terms with quotations#COLONEL
- An honorary civilian title bestowed by some southern US states, most commonly Kentucky; notably Colonel Sanders of KFC.
- 2002, Kate Chopin and Anna Julia Cooper, “Critiquing Kentucky and the South”, in The Southern Literary Journal, volume 35, number 1, page 127:
- "Colonel" was often used as an honorific, indicating no actual military service: between 1792 and 1916, according to Ron Bryant, a curator at the Kentucky Historical Society, 400 of the 650 colonels commissioned were honorary.Category:English terms with quotations#COLONEL
- (Southern USCategory:Southern US English#COLONEL, datedCategory:English dated terms#COLONEL) An informal title used to address an elderly man.
- (USCategory:American English#COLONEL) A form of address for an auctioneer, from the American Civil War practice of commanding officers organizing the public sale of seized goods.
Usage notes
- When used as a title, it is always capitalized.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Verb
colonel (third-person singular simple present colonels, present participle (US) coloneling or (UK) colonelling, simple past and past participle (US) coloneled or (UK) colonelled)Category:English lemmas#COLONELCategory:English verbs#COLONELCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#COLONELCategory:Pages with entries#COLONELCategory:Pages with 3 entries#COLONEL
- (intransitiveCategory:English intransitive verbs#COLONEL) To act as or like a colonel.
- 1663, Samuel Butler, Hudibras, London, page 2:
- Then did Sir Knight abandon dwelling,Category:English terms with quotations#COLONEL
And out he rode Colonelling.
References
- ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “colonel (n.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ↑ https://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-col1.htm
French
Alternative forms
Etymology
From ItalianCategory:French terms derived from Italian#COLONEL colonnello. Compare Middle French coronel, borrowed earlier from the same source. See English colonel for more.
Pronunciation
Noun
colonel m (plural colonels, feminine colonelle)Category:French lemmas#COLONELCategory:French nouns#COLONELCategory:French countable nouns#COLONELCategory:French entries with incorrect language header#COLONELCategory:French masculine nouns#COLONELCategory:Pages with entries#COLONELCategory:Pages with 3 entries#COLONEL
- a colonel, highest commissioned officer below generals
- an ice cream dessert consisting of lemon sherbet and vodka
Related terms
Further reading
- “colonel”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012
Romanian
Etymology 1
Borrowed from FrenchCategory:Romanian terms borrowed from French#COLONELCategory:Romanian terms derived from French#COLONEL colonel, from Middle FrenchCategory:Romanian terms derived from Middle French#COLONEL coronel, which see.
Noun
colonel m (plural colonei, feminine equivalent coloneleasă or colonelă)Category:Romanian lemmas#COLONELCategory:Romanian nouns#COLONELCategory:Romanian countable nouns#COLONELCategory:Romanian entries with incorrect language header#COLONELCategory:Romanian masculine nouns#COLONELCategory:Pages with entries#COLONELCategory:Pages with 3 entries#COLONEL
- colonel (military officer above lieutenant-colonel and below all generals)
Declension
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative-accusative | colonel | colonelul | colonei | coloneii |
| genitive-dative | colonel | colonelului | colonei | coloneilor |
| vocative | colonelule | coloneilor | ||
Etymology 2
Borrowed from GermanCategory:Romanian terms borrowed from German#COLONELCategory:Romanian terms derived from German#COLONEL Kolonel.
Noun
colonel n (uncountable)Category:Romanian lemmas#COLONELCategory:Romanian nouns#COLONELCategory:Romanian uncountable nouns#COLONELCategory:Romanian entries with incorrect language header#COLONELCategory:Romanian neuter nouns#COLONELCategory:Pages with entries#COLONELCategory:Pages with 3 entries#COLONEL
- glyph (a letter in a type of font)
Declension
| singular only | indefinite | definite |
|---|---|---|
| nominative-accusative | colonel | colonelul |
| genitive-dative | colonel | colonelului |
| vocative | colonelule | |