column
Abbr. col., clm.
1.
2. Something resembling an architectural pillar in form or function: a column of mercury in a thermometer.
3. a. Printing. One of two or more vertical sections of typed lines lying side by side on a page and separated by a rule or a blank space. b. A feature article that appears regularly in a publication, such as a newspaper.
4. A formation, as of troops or vehicles, in which all elements follow one behind the other.
5. Botany. A columnlike structure, especially one formed by the union of a stamen and the style in an orchid flower, or one formed by the united staminal filaments in flowers such as those of the hibiscus or mallow.
6. Anatomy. Any of various tubular or pillarlike supporting structures in the body, each generally having a single tissue origin and function: the vertebral column.
[Middle English columne, from Latin columna.]
col