colonel

 
Pronunciation: /ˈkəːn(ə)l/

noun

  • a rank of officer in the army and in the US air force, above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier or brigadier general.
  • informalshort for lieutenant colonel.

Derivatives

colonelcy

noun (plural colonelcies)

Origin:

mid 16th century: from obsolete French coronel (earlier form of colonel), from Italian colonnello 'column of soldiers', from colonna 'column', from Latin columna. The form coronel, source of the modern pronunciation, was usual until the mid 17th century

Spelling help

Remember that colonel begins with colon-; the spelling is very different from the way that it is said.