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Definition of colombo
colombo
/kəˈlʌm.boʊ/
Co · lom · bo
colombo Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
7
Tier
2
Usage
Top 10k
• noun
1
The commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka, located on the western coast of the island nation.
Example
"During our tour of Sri Lanka, we spent three days exploring the vibrant markets and historical architecture of Colombo."
2
The dried, bitter root of an East African climbing plant, traditionally used in medicine as a digestive tonic.
Example
"The 19th-century apothecary dispensed a tincture of colombo to soothe the patient's stomach ailment."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for colombo• Rhymes for colombo
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Word Origin & Etymology
The name of the Sri Lankan city derives from the classical Sinhalese 'Kolamba' (meaning port, harbor, or ford), which was adopted by the Portuguese in 1505 and likely modified in spelling to honor Christopher Columbus (Colombo in Italian).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Colombo. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/colombo