columns
|col-umns|
🇺🇸
/ˈkɑːləmz/
🇬🇧
/ˈkɒləmz/
(column)
vertical support or division
Etymology
'column' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'columna', where 'columna' meant 'pillar' or 'support'.
'column' came into English via Old French 'colonne' and Middle English 'columne' from Latin 'columna', eventually becoming the modern English 'column'.
Initially, it meant 'a pillar or architectural support'; over time it retained that meaning while also extending figuratively to 'vertical arrangements' (in printing, tables) and to regular newspaper articles called 'columns'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'column': a vertical, typically cylindrical support in architecture (pillars).
The ancient temple's columns are decorated with carved capitals.
Synonyms
Noun 2
vertical divisions in printed or displayed material — e.g., in newspapers, tables, spreadsheets, or web pages.
Please put those figures into two separate columns in the spreadsheet.
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Noun 3
a regular newspaper or magazine piece written by the same author on a particular topic (a recurring article).
She writes opinion columns for the Sunday paper.
Synonyms
Noun 4
a formation of people, vehicles, or troops arranged one behind another (military or processional formation).
The soldiers marched in columns down the avenue.
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Noun 5
a vertical arrangement of numbers or data in mathematics or computing (e.g., a column in a matrix or table).
Add up the numbers in the third columns to get the total.
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Last updated: 2025/09/25 15:18