column
/ˈkɒləm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkɑːləm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkä-ləm also ˈkäl-yəm/ (ame, mw)
column — noun
- columnsingular
- columnsplural
1. One of the tall, narrow text sections that make up a printed page in a newspaper
One of the tall, narrow text sections that make up a printed page in a newspaper or journal, arranged side by side so that readers scan down each section separately.
The article ran across three columns on the front page of the morning paper.
collocation: across + number + columns
Beatriz found the announcement in the right-hand column of the local newspaper.
The editor asked the designer to change the layout from five columns to four.
Each column on the page contains roughly two hundred words of news text.
用法筆記
Often used with a number to indicate width: a three-column layout, a five-column table. Can also be used attributively in compound nouns: column width, column inch.
常見錯誤
2. A writer's regular contribution that appears in a printed or online periodical,
A writer's regular contribution that appears in a printed or online periodical, running on a fixed schedule and typically covering a single subject area.
Ravi writes a weekly column about environmental issues for the local paper.
collocation: write(s) a + [frequency] + column about + [topic]
The editor asked Hana to contribute a monthly column on parenting advice.
Leila's column on food politics has won several national journalism awards.
The newspaper's opinion column gives a conservative view on current events.
I read Yusuf's column in the Sunday edition every week without fail.
用法筆記
Frequently preceded by a possessive noun or the writer's name + apostrophe-s (Ravi's column, the editor's column). Common modifiers specify frequency: weekly column, monthly column, regular column.
常見錯誤
3. A set of words, numbers, or data running from top to bottom on a page, computer
A set of words, numbers, or data running from top to bottom on a page, computer screen, or inside a table or spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet has one column for product names and another for prices.
collocation: column for + [data type]
Enter your name in the first column and your email address in the second column.
Theo sorted the data column by column to find the highest sales figures.
The third column of the table lists the population of each major city in Taiwan.
- vertical line
everyday language, less technical
- field
database-specific term for a single category of data
- row
horizontal arrangement of data
用法筆記
Common in computing and data-entry contexts. Contrasts with row (horizontal): a row runs left to right while a column runs top to bottom. In databases, often called a field.
常見錯誤
4. A tall vertical post, usually carved from stone, that supports part of a structu
A tall vertical post, usually carved from stone, that supports part of a structure such as a roof or balcony, or that is erected by itself to honour a person or event.
The ancient temple was supported by twelve marble columns carved with flowers.
passive: was supported by + [number] + [material] + columns
White stone columns line the front of the government building in the square.
Workers repaired the cracked column to stop the balcony above from falling down.
Visitors admired the spiral pattern carved into the stone columns of the old cathedral.
Nelson's Column stands in Trafalgar Square as a monument to a famous British admiral.
用法筆記
In classical architecture, columns typically consist of three parts: base, shaft, and capital. Common types include Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Frequently used with material adjectives: marble column, granite column, wooden column.
常見錯誤
5. Something that has a long, thin, upright shape, similar to a pillar — for exampl
Something that has a long, thin, upright shape, similar to a pillar — for example, smoke rising straight up, a narrow stream of liquid, or a tall geological formation.
A thin column of smoke rose from the chimney into the cold evening sky.
pattern: column of + [substance]
A column of water shot up from the broken pipe in the street below.
The liquid formed a narrow column inside the glass tube of the thermometer.
Columns of dust swirled across the dry field as the afternoon wind grew stronger.
用法筆記
Most common in the pattern column of + [substance] (air, smoke, water, dust, fire, gas). The substance is typically something that can form a vertical stream or shape. Distinguished from sense 4 in that these columns are not man-made architectural structures.
6. A long, single-file arrangement of people, vehicles, or soldiers moving forward
A long, single-file arrangement of people, vehicles, or soldiers moving forward one behind another.
A column of army trucks drove slowly along the narrow road toward the base.
pattern: column of + [vehicles]
The marching band formed a column that stretched across the entire football field.
A long column of tourists walked through the narrow streets of the old market district.
Traffic slowed to a single column as the road narrowed ahead near the bridge.
- line
more general; can be single file or side by side
- file
specifically single file, one behind another; common in military and marching contexts
- procession
slow, ceremonial movement of people or vehicles
- row
side-by-side arrangement, not single file
用法筆記
In military contexts, a column moves in single file (one behind another), contrasting with a line (side by side). For civilian traffic or pedestrians, column suggests a continuous, organised stream rather than a random crowd.