a military officer ranking above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general, and corresponding to a captain in the navy
☆ an honorary, nonmilitary title in some southern or western U.S. states
Origin:
earlier coronel < Fr colonel, coronel (-r- by dissimilation) < It colonello < colonna, (military) column < L columna, column; Fr & E sp. modified after L & It, but older pronun. kept in E