colon
1 of 4noun (1)
co·lon ˈkō-lən 
plural colons or cola ˈkō-lə
: the part of the large intestine that extends from the cecum to the rectum
colon
2 of 4noun (2)
plural colons or cola
1
plural cola : a rhythmical unit of an utterance
specifically, in Greek or Latin verse : a system or series of from two to not more than six feet having a principal accent and forming part of a line
2
plural colons
a
: a punctuation mark : used chiefly to direct attention to matter (such as a list, explanation, quotation, or amplification) that follows
b
: the sign : used between the parts of a numerical expression of time in hours and minutes (as in 1:15) or in hours, minutes, and seconds (as in 8:25:30), in a bibliographical reference (as in Nation 130:20), in a ratio where it is usually read as "to" (as in 4:1 read "four to one"), or in a proportion where it is usually read as "is to" or when doubled as "as" (as in 2:1::8:4 read "two is to one as eight is to four")
colon
3 of 4noun (3)
co·lon kȯ-ˈlōⁿ
kə-ˈlōn
: a colonial farmer or plantation owner
colón
4 of 4noun (4)
co·lón kə-ˈlōn
variants or less commonly colone
plural colones kə-ˈlō-ˌnās
1
: the basic monetary unit of El Salvador until 2001
2
: the basic monetary unit of Costa Rica see Money Table
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English, from Latin, from Greek kolon
Noun (2)
Latin, part of a poem, from Greek kōlon limb, part of a strophe
Noun (3)
French, from Latin colonus
Noun (4)
Spanish colón, from Cristóbal Colón Christopher Columbus
First Known Use
Noun (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (3)
1888, in the meaning defined above
Noun (4)
1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing colon
Kids Definition
colon 1 of 2
noun
co·lon ˈkō-lən
: the main part of the large intestine
colon
2 of 2noun
: a punctuation mark : used mostly to call attention to what follows (as a list, explanation, or quotation)
Medical Definition
colon
noun
co·lon ˈkō-lən
plural colons or cola -lə
: the part of the large intestine that extends from the cecum to the rectum
Geographical Definition
Colón
geographical name
Co·lón kō-ˈlōn
city and port on the Caribbean Sea at the entrance to the Panama Canal in northern Panama population 224,000