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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

colon

/ˈkoʊ.lən/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:05
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What does colon mean?

noun

  1. The punctuation mark ⟨:⟩.
  2. A rhetorical figure consisting of a clause which is grammatically, but not logically, complete.
  3. A clause or group of clauses written as a line, or taken as a standard of measure in ancient manuscripts or texts.
More meanings (5)

noun

  1. Part of the large intestine; the final segment of the digestive system, after (distal to) the ileum and before (proximal to) the rectum. (Because the colon is the largest part of the large intestine (constituting most of it), it is often treated as synonymous therewith in broad or casual usage.)
  2. A European colonial settler, especially in a French colony.
  3. (rare) The triangular colon (especially in context of not being able to type the actual triangular colon).
  4. (obsolete) A husbandman.

proper noun

  1. A surname.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈkoʊ.lən/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other dictionary pronunciations

/ˈkɔ.lən//kəˈloʊn/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

It is undoubtedly a fact that the loculi of the colon contain small faecal accumulations extending over weeks, months, or even years.
Chas. A. (Charles Alfred) TyrrellThe Royal Road to Health; Or, the Secret of Health Without DrugsProject Gutenberg ebook #3453
No human being would voluntarily pay a second visit to Colon, a dirty, mean collection of shanties, with inhabitants worthy of it.
Frederic, Lord HamiltonHere, There and EverywhereProject Gutenberg ebook #6368
More book examples (1)
According to Osler there is a chronic form of dilatation of the colon in which the gut may reach an enormous size.
George M. (George Milbrey) Gould; Walter L. (Walter Lytle) PyleAnomalies and Curiosities of MedicineProject Gutenberg ebook #747