ENGLISH
REFERENCE

colonel

n.
US //ˈkɝnəɫ// UK //kˈɜːnəl// colonel
  1. 1 military rank (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Military

    a high-level officer in the army, air force, or marines who is in charge of a large group of soldiers.

    a senior commissioned officer rank in many military forces, usually commanding a regiment or brigade.

    Example

    The colonel ordered the soldiers to return to the base before dark.

    Example

    After twenty years of distinguished service in the infantry, she was finally promoted to the rank of colonel and given command of the regiment.

    Usage

    Often used as a title before a surname, such as Colonel Miller.
    Pitfall
    The army promoted him to a kernel.
    The army promoted him to a colonel.

    While 'colonel' is pronounced exactly like 'kernel' (a seed), the military rank must be spelled with a 'c' and 'l'.

  2. 2 honorary title (n.)
    C1 Advanced American English

    an honorary title given to some people in the southern United States as a mark of respect.

    an honorary civilian title bestowed by certain US states, most notably Kentucky, as a recognition of stature or service.

    Example

    Colonel Sanders is the most famous person to hold this honorary Kentucky title.

    Example

    The governor bestowed the title of Kentucky Colonel upon the local philanthropist in recognition of his extensive charitable work in the community.

    Teacher's tip

    In this context, the person is not a member of the military; it is a social honor rather than a professional rank.
Origin

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 "r" or "l") coexisted until around 1650, where it came to be pronounced with "r" only. Spanish and Portuguese coronel, also from Italian, shows similar evolution by dissimilation and perhaps by influence of corona.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated June 19, 2026