colon

IPA/ˈkəʊ.lɒn/
KK[kˈolən]IPA/ˈkoʊ.lən/

colon — noun

  • colonsingular
  • colonsplural

1. the longest section of the large bowel, a tube-shaped organ where water gets pul

1.nounB2
Definition

the longest section of the large bowel, a tube-shaped organ where water gets pulled out of food waste before it leaves the body

Example

An X-ray showed a blockage in Tuan's colon that needed surgery.

blockage in + colon — common medical collocation

A diet rich in fibre helps keep your colon healthy and working well.

keep + colon + healthy/working — beneficial action

Common collocations
  • sigmoid colon
  • descending colon
  • ascending colon
  • colon cancer
  • irritable colon
  • colon cleansing
Synonyms
  • large intestine

    a broader term that includes the colon, the cecum, and the rectum

  • bowel

    more informal and general; often used in plural ('bowels') to refer to the whole intestinal system

Grammar Patterns

the colon

colon + verb

Usage Note

In everyday English, people often say 'large intestine' or 'bowel' instead of 'colon'. The colon is specifically the longest section of the large intestine.

Common Mistakes

The doctor checked my colon with a stethoscope.
The doctor checked my abdomen with a stethoscope.
The colon is inside the body and cannot be examined directly with a stethoscope.

2. the mark (:) placed in a sentence to tell the reader that a list, a quotation, o

2.nounA2
Definition

the mark (:) placed in a sentence to tell the reader that a list, a quotation, or an explanation comes next

Example

Please bring the following items: a pen, some paper, and a notebook.

colon before a list: [main clause]: [item], [item], [item]

Tyler opened his speech with these words: 'It is an honour to be here.'

colon before a direct quotation

Grammar Patterns

a colon

colon + noun phrase

Usage Note

A colon is different from a semicolon (;). A colon says 'here comes something that explains or lists what came before'; a semicolon connects two related complete sentences.

Common Mistakes

I bought: apples, bananas, and oranges.
I bought these fruits: apples, bananas, and oranges.
A colon should follow a complete sentence, not a verb.

3. the currency of Costa Rica, and until 2001 also the currency of El Salvador; one

3.nounB1
Definition

the currency of Costa Rica, and until 2001 also the currency of El Salvador; one colon can be exchanged for one hundred smaller coins

Example

The hotel room cost about forty thousand colones per night.

cost + [number] colones — price expression

When Yara visited San José, she paid for her meal in colones.

Common collocations
  • Costa Rican colon
  • Salvadoran colon
  • exchange colones
  • pay in colones

Grammar Patterns

[number] colones

in colones

Usage Note

The plural form is 'colones' (pronounced /koˈloʊneɪs/), not 'colons'. In Costa Rica the colon (CRC) is still actively used. In El Salvador it was replaced by the US dollar in 2001 and is only of historical interest.

Common Mistakes

The price was fifty colons.
The price was fifty colones.
The plural of the currency is 'colones', not 'colons'.

Word family

  • colonic
    adjectiveC1
  • colitis
    nounC1
  • colonoscopy
    nounC1
  • colorectal
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

A colon (:) introduces something that follows — a list, explanation, or quotation — and expects the reader to look ahead. A semicolon (;) joins two complete sentences that are closely related in meaning, making the reader pause briefly before continuing. A comma (,) separates items in a list, clauses, or phrases within a sentence. Compare: 'I need three tools: a hammer, a saw, and a drill' (colon announces the list, comma separates items within it). 'I need a hammer; the old one broke' (semicolon links two complete thoughts). Colons are for introducing; semicolons are for connecting; commas are for separating.

colon ↗semicoloncomma ↗

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

The word 'colon' comes from three separate origins that happen to share the same spelling in English. The body-part meaning goes back to Greek 'kolon' (large intestine), via Latin. The punctuation-mark meaning comes from a different Greek word 'kōlon' (limb, clause of a sentence), because a sentence was thought of as having 'limbs' like the body. The currency meaning comes from Spanish 'Colón', the Spanish name of Christopher Columbus, whose portrait appeared on early coins in Costa Rica and El Salvador.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined above Noun (2)