columbian
columbian Lexical Profile
• adjective
Relating to Christopher Columbus, the Americas, or the United States (historically personified as Columbia).
"The historian wrote a detailed study of the Columbian exchange of plants and animals between the Old and New Worlds."
North American Relating to the Canadian province of British Columbia, the District of Columbia, the Columbia River, or Columbia University.
"She attended several lectures hosted by the Columbian faculty in New York City."
• noun
North American A native or inhabitant of a place named Columbia, or a student or graduate of Columbia University.
"Several prominent Columbians gathered on campus for the annual alumni reunion."
An old size of printing type intermediate between English (14-point) and great primer (18-point), standardized as 16-point.
"Thenineteenth-century broadside was set in a bold Columbian typeface for maximum visibility."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'Columbian' (spelled with a 'u'), which refers to Christopher Columbus, the United States, British Columbia, or Columbia University, with 'Colombian' (spelled with an 'o'), which refers to the South American country of Colombia.
• Rhymes for columbian
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed from 'Columbia' (a historical and poetic name for the Americas and the United States derived from the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus) combined with the suffix '-an'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.