column

[kol-uhm]

noun

1. Architecture.

   1. a rigid, relatively slender, upright support, composed of relatively few pieces.

   2. a decorative pillar, most often composed of stone and typically having a cylindrical or polygonal shaft with a capital and usually a base.

2. any columnlike object, mass, or formation.

   a column of smoke.

3. a vertical row or list.

   Add this column of figures.

4. a vertical arrangement on a page of horizontal lines of type, usually typographically justified.

   There are three columns on this page.

5. a regular feature or series of articles in a newspaper, magazine, or the like, usually having a readily identifiable heading and the byline of the writer or editor, that reports or comments upon a particular field of interest, as politics, theater, or etiquette, or which may contain letters from readers, answers to readers' queries, etc.

6. a long, narrow formation of troops in which there are more members in line in the direction of movement than at right angles to the direction (line ).

7. a formation of ships in single file.

8. Botany.,  a columnlike structure in an orchid flower, composed of the united stamens and style.

column

/ ˈkɒləmˌneɪtɪd, ˈkɒləm, kəˈlʌmnə /

noun

1. an upright post or pillar usually having a cylindrical shaft, a base, and a capital

2. 1. a form or structure in the shape of a column

      a column of air

   2. a monument

3. a row, line, or file, as of people in a queue

4. military a narrow formation in which individuals or units follow one behind the other

5. journalism

   1. any of two or more vertical sections of type on a printed page, esp on a newspaper page

   2. a regular article or feature in a paper

      the fashion column

6. a vertical array of numbers or mathematical terms

7. botany a long structure in a flower, such as that of an orchid, consisting of the united stamens and style

8. anatomy zoology any elongated structure, such as a tract of grey matter in the spinal cord or the stalk of a crinoid

Other Word Forms

• columned adjective
• columnated adjective
• columnar adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of column¹

1400–50; late Middle English columne < Latin columna, equivalent to colum ( e ) n peak + -a feminine ending; akin to excel; replacing late Middle English colompne < Anglo-French < Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of column¹

C15: from Latin columna, from columen top, peak; related to Latin collis hill

Synonym Study

Column, pillar refer to upright supports in architectural structures. Pillar is the general word: the pillars supporting the roof. A column is a particular kind of pillar, especially one with an identifiable shaft, base, and capital: columns of the Corinthian order.

Example Sentences

There’s a column the New York Times does about people who are getting married, how-they-met kind of thing, which I love, and you realize that there’s hundreds and hundreds of stories of how people meet.

From Los Angeles Times

In my last column, I laid out one of the easiest and quickest ways to add more park space — unlock the gates of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

A cellphone video he recorded shows a towering column of flame, taller than a nearby telephone pole, billowing and rippling.

From Salon

This 173-suite hotel was recently renovated and billed as “modern with Greek flair,” with a striking lobby, stark white interiors, massive columns, and plenty of marble.

From Salon

Today, these records exist digitally in an organized spreadsheet, with columns detailing when each item was made, the materials used and Hurtado’s associated memories.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• file 
• list