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• col
  col

  noun

  a pass or depression in a mountain range or ridge.
• COL
  COL

  cost of living.
• col-
  col-

  variant of com- before l: collateral.
• col.
  col.

  abbreviation

  (in prescriptions) strain.
• Col.
  Col.

  abbreviation

  Colombia.

col

¹ American  

[kol, kawl] / kɒl, kɔl /

noun

plural

cols

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

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

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COL ² American  

1. cost of living.

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col- ³ American  

1. variant of com- before l: collateral.

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col- ⁴ American  

1. variant of colo- before a vowel.

   colectomy.

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col. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) strain.

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col. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. collected.

2. collector.

3. college.

4. collegiate.

5. colonial.

6. colony.

7. color.

8. colored.

9. column.

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Col. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. Colombia.

2. Colonel.

3. Colorado.

4. Bible. Colossians.

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Col. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Colombia(n)

2. Colonel

3. Bible Colossians

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col ² British  

/ 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

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col- ³ British  

prefix

1. a variant of com-

   collateral

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col- ⁴ British  

prefix

1. a variant of colo-

   colectomy

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col. ⁵ British  

abbreviation

1. column

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of col¹

1850–55; < French < Latin collum neck

Origin of col.⁵

From the Latin word colā

Example Sentences

On Friday, that low pressure is expected to clear away and leave the UK in a col, or neutral weather zone, with neither high or low pressure in charge.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

Those textures — others come along, including percussive col legno and open fifths that flip steady ground into weightless suspension — glide among the instruments, a vocabulary ordered then reordered, always expressing a fresh thought.

From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2023

There, two summit finishes — the col du Granon, at 2,413 metres above sea level, then l’Alpe d’Huez and its 21 hairpin bends — will prove a tough challenge for the peloton.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 14, 2021

She eats a lot of pasta, and the song is talking about the pappa col pomodoro, so it felt really fun to mix the two.

From Slate • Jun. 25, 2021

We must have as strong a party as possible in the first place, simply to reach the col, and afterwards to bring up a camp, if we were able, as a separate operation.

From Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 by Howard-Bury, Charles Kenneth