column

The story

1. Latincolumen
2. Latincolumna
3. Old Frenchcolumne
4. Middle Englishcolumpne
5. English todaycolumn

From Middle English columne, columpne, columpe, borrowed from Old French columne, from Latin columna (“a column, pillar, post”), originally a collateral form of columen, contraction culmen (“a pillar, top, crown, summit”). Akin to Latin collis (“a hill”), celsus (“high”), probably to Ancient Greek κολοφών (kolophṓn, “top, summit”). Displaced native Old English sweor (“pillar, column”) and Old English stapol.

Words from the same roots