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column

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The definition of a column is a vertical arrangement of something, a regular article in a paper, magazine or website, or a structure that holds something up.

(noun)

An example of column is an Excel list of budget items.
An example of column is a weekly recipe article.
An example of column is a pillar in the front of a building.

See column in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a slender upright structure, generally consisting of a cylindrical shaft, a base, and a capital; pillar: it is usually a supporting or ornamental member in a building
anything like a column in shape or function: a column of water, the spinal column
a formation of troops, ships, etc. in a file or adjacent files
any of the vertical sections of printed matter that are side by side on a page, separated by a rule or blank space
(any of) a series of feature articles appearing regularly in a newspaper or magazine, by a particular writer or about a certain subject

Origin: ME & OFr colomne < L columna, collateral form of columen, column, pillar < IE base *kel-, to project > hill, holm, Gr kolophōn

Related Forms:

columnar adjective
columned adjective

See column in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Architecture A supporting pillar consisting of a base, a cylindrical shaft, and a capital.
Something resembling an architectural pillar in form or function: a column of mercury in a thermometer.
a. Printing One of two or more vertical sections of typed lines lying side by side on a page and separated by a rule or a blank space.
b. A feature article that appears regularly in a publication, such as a newspaper.
A formation, as of troops or vehicles, in which all elements follow one behind the other.
Botany A columnlike structure, especially one formed by the union of a stamen and the style in an orchid flower, or one formed by the united staminal filaments in flowers such as those of the hibiscus or mallow.
Anatomy Any of various tubular or pillarlike supporting structures in the body, each generally having a single tissue origin and function: the vertebral column.