a line of units following one after another
"The soldiers stood at attention in a tight column as they marched into town."
a vertical glass tube used in column chromatography; a mixture is poured in the top and washed through a stationary substance where components of the mixture are adsorbed selectively to form colored bands
"The researcher carefully packed silica gel into the tall glass column before pouring the plant extract on top to separate the pigments."
an article giving opinions or perspectives
"The editor asked me to write a column about the city's new transit policy for next Sunday's paper."
a page or text that is vertically divided
"the newspaper devoted several columns to the subject"
"the bookkeeper used pages that were divided into columns"
any tubular or pillar-like supporting structure in the body
"The doctor explained that a tumor had damaged the vertebral column, causing severe back pain."
A solid upright structure designed usually to support a larger structure above it, such as a roof or horizontal beam, but sometimes for decoration.
"The ancient temple featured massive stone columns that supported the heavy wooden beams of its roof."
In plain English: A column is a vertical stack of items arranged side by side, like the lines of text you read in a newspaper or spreadsheet.
"The newspaper article was divided into several vertical columns of text."
Usage: Use "column" to describe a vertical pillar that supports a building's weight or stands as a decorative architectural feature. Do not confuse it with a newspaper article or a data list, which are distinct meanings of the same word.
The word "column" entered English from Old French and originally meant a pillar or post. It derives from the Latin columen, which referred to the top or summit of something, likely related to words for hills and heights.