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co·la ¹

(kōlə)

A carbonated soft drink containing an extract of the kola nut or similar flavorings.

[From COLA⁴.]

co·lon¹

(kōlən)

1. pl. co·lons

a. A punctuation mark ( : ) used after a word introducing a quotation, explanation, example, or series and often after the salutation of a business letter.

b. The sign ( : ) used between numbers or groups of numbers in expressions of time (2:30 AM) and ratios (1:2).

2. pl. co·la (-lə)

a. A section of a metrical period in quantitative verse, consisting of two to six feet and in Latin verse having one principal accent.

b. An analogous unit or division of classical Greek or Latin prose.

[Latin cōlon, part of a verse, from Greek kōlon, limb, member, metrical unit.]

co·lon²

(kōlən)

n. pl. co·lons or co·la (-lə)

The section of the large intestine extending from the cecum to the rectum.

[Middle English, from Latin, from Greek kolon, large intestine.]

co·lonic (kə-lŏnĭk) adj.

co·la²

(kōlə)

A cluster of flowers at the top of a female cannabis plant.

[Latin American Spanish slang (perhaps originally in Mexican Spanish slang cola de borrego, high-quality marijuana, literally "lamb's tail," from the long, woolly appearance of the inflorescence), from Spanish, tail, from Old Spanish, from Latin cauda; see CODA.]

co·la³

(kōlə)

Plural of colon¹.

co·lon³

(kō-lōn)

n. pl. co·lons or co·lo·nes (-lōnās′)

See Table at currency.

[Spanish colón, after Cristóbal Colón, Christopher Columbus.]

co·la⁴

(kōlə)

A plural of colon².

co·la⁵

(kōlə)

Variant of kola.

ko·la or co·la

(kōlə)

Any of several tropical African evergreen trees of the genus Cola, especially C. acuminata or C. nitida, cultivated for their reddish fragrant nutlike seeds, which contain caffeine and theobromine. The seeds are chewed as a stimulant and yield an extract used in pharmaceuticals and as a flavoring in foods and beverages.

[Of West African origin; akin to Temne kla, kola nut.]

(click for a larger image)

kola

kola seeds

Cola acuminata

COLA 0

abbr.

cost-of-living adjustment

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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