col-

¹

1. variant of com- before l: collateral.

col.

²

abbreviation for

1. (in prescriptions) strain.

col-

³

1. variant of colo- before a vowel:

   colectomy.

col.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. collected.
2. collector.
3. college.
4. collegiate.
5. colonial.
6. colony.
7. color.
8. colored.
9. column.

col

⁵

[ kol; French kawl ]

noun

, plural cols [kolz, kawl].

1. Physical Geography. a pass or depression in a mountain range or ridge.
2. Meteorology. the region of relatively low pressure between two anticyclones.

COL

⁶

1. cost of living.

Col.

⁷

abbreviation for

1. Colombia.
2. Colonel.
3. Colorado.
4. Bible. Colossians.

col-

¹

prefix

1. a variant of colo-

   colectomy

col.

²

abbreviation for

1. column

col

³

/ kɒl; kɔl /

noun

1. the lowest point of a ridge connecting two mountain peaks, often constituting a pass
2. meteorol a pressure region between two anticyclones and two depressions, associated with variable weather

Col.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. Colombia(n)
2. Colonel
3. Bible Colossians

col-

⁵

prefix

1. a variant of com-

   collateral

Word History and Origins

Origin of col-¹

From the Latin word colā

Origin of col-²

1850–55; < French < Latin collum neck

Word History and Origins

Origin of col-¹

C19: from French: neck, col, from Latin collum neck

Words That Use col-

What does col- mean?

Col- is a combining form used like a prefix representing the word colon, the part of the large intestine extending from the cecum to the rectum. It is often used in medical terms.

Col- comes from the Greek kólon, meaning “large intestine.” The Greek kólon is also the source of such words as colic and colicky, a word which many parents may know all too well.

Col-, when it refers to the colon, is a variant of colo-, which loses its –o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use colo- article.

Examples of col-

One medical term you may be familiar with that uses col- is colitis, meaning “inflammation of the colon.”

The first part of the word, col-, represents “colon.” The second part of the word, -itis, might also look familiar: it’s used in medical terms to denote “inflammation.”Colitis, then, breaks down to “colon inflammation.”

What are some words that use the combining form col-?

• colectomy

What are some other forms that col- may be commonly confused with?

• coll-
• chol-

There are many other words begin with col-, from cola and colander to color to colony, but they are not using col- as a combining form meaning “colon.”

Adding to the confusion (but highlighting just how much English gets out of the letters col-) is the fact that col- is also a variant of the prefix com-, meaning “with, together,” when combined with words or word elements beginning with -l-, as in collateral.

Break it down!

The combining form -ectomy means “excision, removal” With this in mind, what does the surgical procedure of colectomy involve?