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English colonel is pronounced the same as kernel. This seems odd, but there is an explanation. In many languages when a word contains two identical or similar sounds, one of these sounds will often change over a period of time. This kind of change is called dissimilation. So when the Italian word colonello was taken into French, it became coronel; and the word was borrowed by the English from the French in this form. Later the spelling colonel came to be used in order to reflect the Italian origin of the word. But by then the pronunciation with r was well established.
Examples of colonel in a Sentence
Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
The 15 service members, ranging in rank from staff sergeant to colonel, have been removed from their positions and have received non-judicial administrative punishments, according to the Air Force.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 11 Dec. 2023
Burnett was a colonel in the Kentucky Infantry in the Confederate army.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 29 Nov. 2023
That, too, was filed directly to the colonel overseeing the preliminary hearing.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2023
Magruder went on to serve as a colonel in the Maryland militia during the Revolution.
—Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023
But the longer spending is delayed, the less the army will get for its money, noted Roderich Kiesewetter, a former colonel who is now on the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs.
—Christopher F. Schuetze, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2023
In 1840, his remains were transferred to the Hôtel National des Invalides in Paris, where he is buried in his colonel’s uniform, his sash of the Légion d’Honneur and a bicorne hat that rests on his legs.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
That colonel than made his recommendation up the chain of command, but Wednesday’s statement does not indicate what the colonel’s recommendations were.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'colonel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing colonel
Dictionary Entries Near colonel
Cite this Entry
“Colonel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colonel. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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Kids Definition
an altered form of earlier coronel "colonel," from early French coronel (same meaning), from early Italian colonnello "colonel, column of soldiers," derived from Latin columna "column" — related to column
More from Merriam-Webster on colonel
Nglish: Translation of colonel for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of colonel for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about colonel
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