[col.umn] n [ME columne, fr. MF colomne, fr. L columna, fr. columen top; akin to L collis hill--more at hill] (15c) 1 a: a vertical arrangement of items printed or written on a page b: one of two or more vertical sections of a printed page separated by a rule or blank space c: an accumulation arranged vertically: stack d: one in a usu. regular series of newspaper or magazine articles "gossip ~"
2: a supporting pillar; esp: one consisting of a usu. round shaft, a capital, and a base 3 a: something resembling a column in form, position, or function "a ~ of water" b: a tube or cylinder in which a chromatographic separation takes place
4: a long row (as of soldiers)
5: one of the vertical lines of elements of a determinant or matrix -- col.umned adj