Columbian

American  

[kuh-luhm-bee-uhn] / kəˈlʌm bi ən /

adjective

1. Literary. pertaining to America or the United States.

2. pertaining to Christopher Columbus.

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noun

1. Printing. a 16-point type of a size between English and great primer.

Columbian British  

/ kəˈlʌmbɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the United States

2. relating to Christopher Columbus

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noun

1. a size of printer's type, approximately equal to 16 point; two-line Brevier

Other Word Forms

• post-Columbian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Columbian

1750–60; Columbi(a) + -an or Columb(us) + -ian

Example Sentences

The Columbian exchange had brought calorie-rich crops such as the potato to Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

The BC Lumber Trade Council, which represents British Columbian lumber producers in Canada on trade matters, in September called the new tariffs "misguided and unnecessary."

From Barron's • Oct. 14, 2025

Oscar, a Columbian who would only give us his first name, was wandering the halls of the market with bags filled with fluffy bunnies and bears.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2025

Larson centers the activities of two men in the years leading up to and during Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

The fair was so big, so beyond grasp, that the Columbian Guards found themselves hammered with questions.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson