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

Marlon Brando was overweight and underprepared for his role as a deranged Green Berets colonel. —Clyde Haberman, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024

And at Rosario’s preliminary hearing, also called an Article 32 hearing, in a Camp Pendleton courtroom in August, the prosecution presented no witnesses, opting to make its case — and its arguments — in writing to the colonel running the hearing. —Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024

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

Kids Definition

colonel

noun

col·​o·​nel ˈkərn-ᵊl 

: a military commissioned officer with a rank just below that of 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