col

[ kol; French kawl ]

/ kɒl; French kɔl /

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noun, plural cols

[kolz; French kawl]. /kɒlz; French kɔl/.

Physical Geography. a pass or depression in a mountain range or ridge.

Meteorology. the region of relatively low pressure between two anticyclones.

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Origin of col

1850–55; <French <Latin collum neck

Other definitions for col (2 of 7)

COL

cost of living.

Other definitions for col (3 of 7)

col-¹

variant of com- before l: collateral.

Other definitions for col (4 of 7)

col-²

variant of colo- before a vowel: colectomy.

Other definitions for col (5 of 7)

col.¹

abbreviation

(in prescriptions) strain.

Origin of col.

From theLatin word colā

Other definitions for col (6 of 7)

col.²

abbreviation

collected.

collector.

college.

collegiate.

colonial.

colony.

color.

colored.

column.

Other definitions for col (7 of 7)

Col.

abbreviation

Colombia.

Colonel.

Colorado.

Bible. Colossians.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use col in a sentence

“I think it is important to say it is too soon to judge success or failure,” said Col. Steven Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He cites an interview that a freed POW, Air Force Lt. Col. William Harrison, gave to The New York Times in 1953.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built|Michael Daly|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The entry was read aloud by Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens at a September press conference a few days later.
Killer Eric Frein Held in Murdered Cop’s Cuffs|Michael Daly|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Col. Byrne was the father of Eugene Byrne, the West Point cadet who died recently from injuries received in a football game.
When West Point Football Turned Fatal|Nicolaus Mills|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Col. Strelkov has admitted that he only quit working with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in May 2013.
Putin’s Number One Gunman in Ukraine Warns Him of Possible Defeat|Anna Nemtsova|July 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Col. Ethan Allen arrived from England, and was received with discharges of cannon.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Col. Moore, a veteran politician of the Old Dominion, was a most pleasant and affable gentleman, and a great lisper withal.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
A month later he saved the whole army at the Col de Pierre troite.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Havana tobacco was first cultivated in this state by Col. McIntosh, and succeeded finely in some of the counties along the coast.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Its people were mostly well educated and intelligent, and they had Col. Crompton, with his fine house and grounds.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes

British Dictionary definitions for col (1 of 5)

col

/ (kɒl, French kɔl) /

noun

the lowest point of a ridge connecting two mountain peaks, often constituting a pass

meteorol a pressure region between two anticyclones and two depressions, associated with variable weather

Word Origin for col

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

British Dictionary definitions for col (2 of 5)

col-¹

prefix

a variant of com- collateral

British Dictionary definitions for col (3 of 5)

col-²

prefix

a variant of colo- colectomy

British Dictionary definitions for col (4 of 5)

col.

abbreviation for

column

British Dictionary definitions for col (5 of 5)

Col.

abbreviation for

Colombia(n)

Colonel

Bible Colossians

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012