A colonel is a high‑ranking officer in the army, air force, or marines, usually in charge of a large group of soldiers. It is just below the rank of general in many military systems.
“Colonel” comes from French “coronel,” from Italian “colonnello,” meaning “column leader,” from “colonna” (column of soldiers). English kept the French spelling but shifted back toward the older “l” sound in the pronunciation, creating today’s mismatch.
The bizarre spelling‑pronunciation gap in “colonel” is a fossil of language tug‑of‑war between Italian and French forms. You’re basically saying “kernel,” like a grain, while looking at a word built from “column of soldiers.”
Historically, 'colonel' referred almost exclusively to men in military leadership, reflecting the exclusion of women from officer ranks in many armies until the late 20th century. As women gained access to military careers, the term remained grammatically neutral in English, but institutional barriers and stereotypes persisted.
Use 'colonel' as a rank for people of any gender, and avoid assuming pronouns; pair it with the person’s stated name and pronouns where possible.
Women have served as colonels and in equivalent senior officer roles in many countries, often facing significant resistance; acknowledging their ranks accurately helps correct the assumption that high military command is male by default.
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