colonel
NounWordNet 3.0
Noun (1)
- a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)
Colonel \Colo"nel\, n. [F. colonel, It. colonello, prop., the chief or commander of a column, fr. colonna column, L. columna. See Column.] (Mil.) The chief officer of a regiment; an officer ranking next above a lieutenant colonel and next below a brigadier general. [1913 Webster]