I. Columbus BrE AmE
the capital city of the US state of ↑ Ohio
II. Co ‧ lum ‧ bus, Chris ‧ to ‧ pher /kəˈlʌmbəs, ˈkrɪstəfəʳ/ BrE AmE
(1451–1506) an Italian sailor and ↑ explorer who is traditionally thought of as the first European to discover America, in 1492. He arrived in America by accident when he was trying to find a new way to Asia by sailing west from Spain, having received money for this journey from the Spanish king and queen, ↑ Ferdinand and Isabella . Many US and British people know the ↑ rhyme In fourteen hundred and ninety two,/Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Most people now think that the first discovery of America by Europeans was about 500 years earlier, by the Norwegian Leif ↑ Ericsson .