LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

columna

columna f (genitive columnae)
Classical[kɔˈɫʊm.na]Ecclesiastical[koˈlum.na]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. femininecolumn, pillar
  2. femininewaterspout
  3. New Latinfemininecolumn as in a book

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

saxum altum, quod tēctum sustinet; columnae circum hortum stant.
columna -ae f — in Mille Verba, Domus et Familia
saxum altum, quod templa sustinet
columna -ae (f) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 16

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecolumna
columella		columnae
columellae
genitivecolumnae
columellae		columnārum
columellārum
dativecolumnae
columellae		columnīs
columellīs
accusativecolumnam
columellam		columnās
columellās
ablativecolumnā
columellā		columnīs
columellīs
vocativecolumna
columella		columnae
columellae

cŏlumna, ae, f. root cel- of excello; v. columen, of which it is orig. a collat. form.
A. A projecting object, a column, pillar, post (very freq.), Vitr. 4, 1, 1 sq.; 3, 3; Varr. R. R. 3, 5, 11: columnae et templa et porticus sustinent, tamen habent non plus utilitatis quam dignitatis, Cic. de Or. 3, 46, 180; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 51, §§ 133 and 134; Quint. 5, 13, 40: columnae Doricae, Ionicae, Tuscanicae, Corinthiae, Atticae, Plin. 36, 22, 56, § 178 sq.; Vitr. 4, 1, 1 sqq.: Rostrata, a column ornamented with beaks of ships, erected in honor of Duellius, the conqueror of the Carthaginians, Quint. 1, 7, 12 Spald.; fragments of the inscription on it are yet extant, v. in the Appendix: Maenia, also absol. Columna, a pillory in the Forum Romanum, where thieves, criminal slaves, and debtors were judged and punished, Cic. Div. in Caecil. 16, 50 Ascon.—Absol.: ad columnam pervenire. Cic. Clu. 13, 39: adhaerescere ad columnam, id. Sest. 8, 18; cf. Dict. of Antiq. s. v. columna.—Plur.: columnae, as the sign of a bookseller's shop, Hor. A. P 373 Orell. ad loc.—From the use of pillars to designate boundaries of countries: Columnae Protei = fines Aegypti, Verg. A. 11, 262; and: Columnae Herculis, i. e. Calpe et Abyla, Mel. 1, 5, 3; 2, 6, 8; Plin. 3, prooem. § 4; Tac. G. 34.—Prov.: incurrere amentem in columnas, Cic. Or. 67, 224.—*
2. Trop., a pillar, support; of Augustus, Hor. C. 1, 35, 14.—
3. Transf., of objects resembling a pillar; so,
a. Of the arm (comice): ecce autem aedificat: columnam mento suffigit suo, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 54. —
b. A water-spout, Lucr. 6, 426; 6, 433; Plin. 2, 49, 50, § 134.—
c. Of fire, a meteor, Sen. Q. N. 7, 20, 2; cf. of the pillar of cloud and of fire which guided the Exodus, Vulg. Exod. 13, 21 sq.—
d. Membrum virile, Mart. 6, 49; 11, 51; Auct. Priap. 9, 8.—
e. Narium recta pars eo quod aequaliter sit in longitudine et rotunditate porrecta, columna vocatur, Isid. Orig. 11, 1, 48.—*
B. The top, summit; so only once of the dome of heaven, Cic. poët. Div. 1, 12, 21; cf. columen.

Origins

Originally a collateral form of columen, contraction culmen (“a pillar, top, crown, summit”).

Elsewhere
  • Catalancolumna
  • Italiancolonna
  • Romaniancoloanăfrom Italian colonna
  • Englishcolumnfrom Old French columne
  • Frenchcolonnefrom Old French columne
  • GermanKolonnefrom Old French columne
  • Frenchcolomnefrom Old French columne
  • Frenchcolombefrom Old French colombe
  • Portuguesecoluna
  • Romaniancorună
Padanian
  • Emilianclåṅna
  • Romagnolclôna
  • Romagnolculôna

In English words that came into English from columna

  • columncolumna
  • colonelcolumna
  • columnarcolumnāris
  • columellacolumella
  • intercolumnintercolumnium

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesColumnaColumna (κιών, dim. κιονίς, κιονίον, κιοϝίοκος· στῦλος, dim. στυλίς, στυλίσκος), a pillar or column. Under the term column is comprised a number of fo…

Quick answers

What does columna mean in Latin?
columna, a noun, means “column, pillar; waterspout; column as in a book”.
What is the genitive of columna?
The genitive singular is columnae. columna is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce columna?
In classical Latin, [kɔˈɫʊm.na]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [koˈlum.na].
Which English words come from columna?
English words that go back to Latin columna include column, colonel, columella, columnar and intercolumn.