Columbo

name, noun

name, noun ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Alternative form of calumba. alt-of, alternative, uncountable
  2. 2
    any of various tall perennial herbs constituting the genus Frasera; widely distributed in warm dry upland areas of California, Oregon, and Washington wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname from Italian.
  2. 2
    Obsolete form of Colombo (“Sri Lankan city”). alt-of, obsolete

Synonyms

All synonyms
american columboamerican gentiandeer's eardeer's earsdeer's-eardeer's-ears

Example

More examples

"Detective Columbo is always in a frayed raincoat."

Etymology

Etymology 1

The spelling was probably influenced by Columbo (an old spelling of Colombo), under the assumption that the plant came from there.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian Columbo.

Related phrases

American columbocolumbic acid

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.