Why is Colonel pronounced kernel?

This was because the rank was bestowed upon the commander of a column of troops. This word was then adopted by the French, who translated the term in their own language, converted the word 'colonnello' to the word 'coronel'. This is the reason why 'colonel' is pronounced 'kernel'.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on scienceabc.com


Why is colonel pronounced wrong?

Why is the word “colonel” pronounced with an “r” sound when it is not spelled with an “r”? “Colonel” came to English from the mid-16th-century French word coronelle, meaning commander of a regiment, or column, of soldiers. By the mid-17th century, the spelling and French pronunciation had changed to colonnel.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on smithsonianmag.com


Why are colonels called kernel?

The word colonel derives from the same root as the word column (Italian: colonna) and means "of a column", and, by implication, "commander of a column". Colonel is therefore linked to the word column in a similar way that brigadier is linked to brigade, although in English this relationship is not immediately obvious.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Is colonel the same as kernel?

A kernel is the edible portion of a seed, nut or fruit that is inside a stone or shell. Kernel may also mean the essential part of something. Kernel comes from the Old English word cyrnel which means seed, pip. A colonel is a high-ranking officer in an army or air force.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on grammarist.com


Why is colonel pronounced kernel Reddit?

It derived from French coronell, which in turn came from Italian colonello (the leader of a "little column" of soldiers). The change from -l- to -r- in French was due to dissimilation. (Interestingly, the change of spelling to colonnel also happened in French, after the word had been borrowed into English).
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on reddit.com


Why “Colonel” is Pronounced “Kernel”



What is a kernel in the military?

colonel, the highest field-grade officer, ranking just below the general officer grades in most armies or below brigadier in the British services. A colonel was traditionally the commanding officer of a regiment or brigade.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on britannica.com


Where does the R sound come from in colonel?

Colonel derives from Latin columella, “a little column.” At some point, the first “l” became an “r,” and the word became established in French as coronel. The coronel was the officer who led the “little column” of troops at the head of a regiment.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dailywritingtips.com


Is there a kernel in the army?

In the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, colonel (/ˈkɜːrnəl/) is the most senior field-grade military officer rank, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. It is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in the other uniformed services.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


How do you spell sergeant in Australia?

Australia. Sergeant (Sgt) is a rank in both the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Can an enlisted man outrank an officer?

Warrant Officers outrank all enlisted members, but are not required to have a college degree. Commissioned Officers outrank Warrant Officers and enlisted service members, and must have a minimum of a four-year bachelor's degree.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on militaryrates.com


What is the highest rank that sees combat?

What Is the Highest Military Rank? The highest military rank is O-10, or "five-star general." It is symbolized by five stars for each of the military services. Although it is currently a part of the military service rank system, no officer has been promoted to it since World War II, when the rank was created.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on military.com


Why is Navy called Mr?

Military usage

In the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard it is proper to use Mister to refer to commissioned officers below the rank of lieutenant commander, or to subordinate commissioned officers, though the use of Mister implies familiarity compared to the use of rank title for an unknown officer.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Why do British say leftenant?

According to military customs, a lower ranking soldier walks on the left side of a senior officer. This courtesy developed when swords were still used on the battle field. The lower ranked soldier on the "left" protected the senior officers left side. Therefore, the term leftenant developed.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on theguardian.com


Why do British pronounce clerk as Clark?

It was spelled both clark and clerk. Because the word clerk was pronounced with (är) rather than (ĕr) in the south of England, the vowels in the word did not become (ûr).
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on ahdictionary.com


What is a full bird in the army?

The rank of colonel in the U.S. Army denotes a senior commissioned officer with at least 19 years of service in the military. The colonel insignia is the silver eagle. For this reason, a colonel is sometimes referred to as a full bird colonel to distinguish from a lieutenant colonel, one rank below.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on work.chron.com


Why is colonel rank an eagle?

In 1832, gold eagles were authorized for infantry colonels because they were placed on silver epaulettes and silver eagles to be placed on gold epaulettes were authorized for all other colonels.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dodfire.com


What does a retired colonel make?

To figure the monthly retirement pay, multiply years of service by 2.5 percent and then multiply the answer by the basis. For 24 years of service, this comes to 60 percent. If the officer's rank at retirement in 2015 was lieutenant colonel, you have 60 percent of $9,280.20. The monthly retirement pay equals $5,568.12.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on sapling.com


Why is SERgeant pronounced SARgent?

Per the Naval Historical Center: The English borrowed the word "sergeant" from the French in about the Thirteenth Century. They spelled it several different ways and pronounced it both as SARgent and SERgeant. The latter was closer to the French pronunciation.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on english.stackexchange.com


Which letter is silent in salmon?

Salmon was one of those words. In Latin, the word for fish is salmo, and the L is pronounced. Even though the English word spelling changed from samoun to salmon, the pronunciation stayed the same, making the L silent.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on greensboro.com


What is a bird colonel?

Noun. bird colonel (plural bird colonels) (US, slang, military) A member of the United States armed forces having the rank of full colonel, as distinct from a lieutenant colonel.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wiktionary.org


Why is Wednesday spelled wrong?

Wodan and Mercury, although quite different, were both linked to the day of the week we know as Wednesday. As Wōdnesdæg moved from Old English to Middle English, its spelling changed. It became "Wednesdei" and the "d" remained, even as the word morphed into "Wednesday."
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on people.howstuffworks.com


What is colonel French?

[ˈkɜːʳnəl ] colonel m.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on collinsdictionary.com
Previous question
How do you get a snail to trust you?