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

Roth made his way to Bloomington, Ill., apprenticing himself to an architect, later returning to Chicago, where he found work on the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 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

These will remain in place "until the first planeload of Columbian deportees is successfully returned", the White House said.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2025

A Wyoming archaeological site where people killed or scavenged a Columbian mammoth nearly 13,000 years ago has produced yet another discovery that sheds light on the life of these early inhabitants of North America.

From Science Daily • Nov. 27, 2024

The men of the Columbian Guard stepped up their vigilance.

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