colon

I. noun (plural colons or cola) Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, from Greek kolon Date: 14th century the part of the large intestine that extends from the cecum to the rectum II. noun (plural colons or cola) Etymology: Latin, part of a poem, from Greek kōlon limb, part of a strophe Date: circa 1550 1. plural cola a rhythmical unit of an utterance; specifically in Greek or Latin verse a system or series of from two to not more than six feet having a principal accent and forming part of a line 2. plural colons a. a punctuation mark : used chiefly to direct attention to matter (as a list, explanation, quotation, or amplification) that follows b. the sign : used between the parts of a numerical expression of time in hours and minutes (as in 1:15) or in hours, minutes, and seconds (as in 8:25:30), in a bibliographical reference (as in Nation 130:20), in a ratio where it is usually read as “to” (as in 4:1 read “four to one”), or in a proportion where it is usually read as “is to” or when doubled as “as” (as in 2:1::8:4 read “two is to one as eight is to four”) III. noun Etymology: French, from Latin colonus Date: 1888 a colonial farmer or plantation owner