colonel

CEFRC1

/ˈkɜː.nl̩/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A high-ranking officer in the army or air force.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A military leader, distinct from the modern professional military rank.

Examples

  • He was raised to the rank of colonel two years ago.

  • He advanced to colonel.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. An honorary civilian title bestowed by some southern US states, most commonly Kentucky; notably Colonel Sanders of KFC.

  2. 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).

  3. A form of address for an auctioneer, from the American Civil War practice of commanding officers organizing the public sale of seized goods.

More examples

In context

  • General Charles-Maximilian Fiennes was made colonel of the army.

  • Then did Sir Knight abandon dwelling, And out he rode Colonelling.

  • "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.

Quick test

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The blank commanded the regiment during the fierce battle last night.

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Nearby

Origin

noun

First attested in the 1540s, from Middle French coronnel, from Old Italian 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 Latin columna (“pillar”), originally a collateral form of columen, contraction culmen (“a pillar, top, crown, summit”), o-grade form from a Proto-Indo-European *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 "...