co|lon

co|lon¹ «KOH luhn», noun, plural -lons for 1, -la «-luh» for 2.

1. a mark (:) of punctuation. Colons are used before explanations lists, and long quotations to set them off from the rest of the sentence. A colon is also used after the salutation of a business letter. An illustrative sentence or phrase in this dictionary usually has a colon before it.

2. a member or section of a rhythmical period in classical verse, forming a rhythmic unit of from two to six feet with one principal accent or beat.

╂[< Latin cōlon < Greek kôlon limb; member (of the body or of a sentence); clause]

co|lon² «KOH luhn», noun, plural -lons, -la «-luh».

the part of the large intestine in which solid waste is accumulated and prepared for elimination from the body. It extends from the cecum to the rectum.

╂[< Latin cōlon < Greek kólon part of the large intestine]

co|lon³ «koh LOHN», noun, plural -lons, -lo|nes «-LOH nays».

1. the unit of money of Costa Rica, equal to 100 centimos.

2. the unit of money of El Salvador, equal to 100 centavos.

╂[< American Spanish colón < Colón Columbus]

co|lon⁴ «k ln», noun.

French. a French colonial; settler; planter: »

To him, the enemy was not France but the land-owning French in Algeria, the colons (Manchester Guardian).