Coloner

/ˈkɒlənə(r)/ noun

Definition

A historic alternative or archaic spelling of colonel; a military officer commanding a regiment or column of soldiers.

Etymology

An older English variant of 'colonel,' used before the modern spelling standardized in the 17th-18th centuries. 'Coloner' shows the phonetic spelling before the word was influenced by Italian 'colonnello' in its written form.

Kelly Says

Finding 'coloner' in old letters and documents shows how English spelling wasn't standardized until recently—people spelled the same military rank at least three different ways in the 1600s!

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