A column is a tall, vertical support, usually round, that holds up a roof or decoration in a building. It can also mean a vertical arrangement of numbers or text on a page, or a regular article by the same writer in a newspaper.
“Column” comes from Latin “columna,” meaning “pillar,” which passed into English through French. The idea of a vertical support led to the use for vertical lines of print and organized groups in formation.
From stone pillars to lines of text, a column is always something long and upright that supports or organizes. Even a “column of tanks” on the road uses the same visual: a tall, narrow line moving forward.
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