colonel

noun

col·​o·​nel ˈkər-nᵊl How to pronounce colonel (audio)
1
a
: a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
2
: a minor titular official of a state especially in southern or midland U.S.
used as an honorific title
colonelcy 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 The Number 9 Company Irish Guards are leading the charge this year, and as honorary colonel of the regiment, Kate would traditionally conduct the Colonel's Review before Trooping. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Jonsson included specific examples of White defensiveness among his colleagues, but White colonels aren’t the only folks Jonsson made uneasy. Joe Davidson, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 The army said on its website that Catherine, in her capacity as colonel of the Irish guards, would review soldiers who are to parade in the ceremony on June 8. Mark Landler, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson will immediately begin the process to name a new colonel. Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 14 Feb. 2024 As the son of an Army colonel, Steele moved 14 times growing up, so community has always been important. Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2024 Reportedly, 19 Russians died including a colonel and two other officers. David Axe, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 At the colonel’s wake, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, stood in mourning beside the C.I.A. station chief. Michael Schwirtz, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024 Video Ad Feedback 'Extremely precise': Retired colonel reacts to US military strike in Baghdad 00:43 - Source: CNN 3. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'colonel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of colonel was in 1548

Dictionary Entries Near colonel

Cite this Entry

“Colonel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colonel. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

colonel

noun
col·​o·​nel ˈkərn-ᵊl How to pronounce colonel (audio)
: a military commissioned officer with a rank just below that of brigadier general
colonelcy 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

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