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short column

British  

noun

  1. a column whose relative dimensions ensure that when it is overloaded it fails by crushing, rather than buckling

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The group, dressed in heavy military gear, silently affixes the pole to a short column along the edge of the roof before quickly walking away.

From Seattle Times

Rachel Monroe has been writing this really great short column for The New Yorker online called Letters from the Southwest.

From New York Times

In this short column, she took us from feeling sadness and hopelessness to reflection and optimism.

From Washington Post

Their form is innovative, a thin short column down the middle of each page, playing off the traditions of a newspaper obituary.

From Los Angeles Times

The collapse brought attention to the more than 600 schools on the island that shared a “short column” architectural design, which makes them vulnerable to tremors.

From New York Times