colin

colin — noun

1. a boy's or man's first name, used in English-speaking countries and in France. I

1.nounA1
Definition

a boy's or man's first name, used in English-speaking countries and in France. It comes from an old short form of the name Nicholas (or Nicolas), and is still a common choice for baby boys today, especially in Scotland, Ireland, and England.

Example

Colin rides his bike to school every morning with his best friend.

proper noun as sentence subject

Did you tell Colin that the meeting starts at ten?

proper noun as indirect object in question

Usage Note

Colin has been a popular name in Scotland since the Middle Ages and remains common in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Canada. In the United States it is less widespread but still in regular use. The name is sometimes confused with 'colon', which has a different pronunciation (the second syllable is stressed in 'colon').

Common Mistakes

Colin is spelled with one L.
Colin is spelled with one L but has two syllables (CO-lin).
Some learners add an extra L thinking of the French spelling 'Colin', but the English spelling has only one L.
Colin and colon sound the same.
Colin (CO-lin) and colon (CO-lon) have different final vowels.
The final vowel in Colin is like 'in', while 'colon' ends with a sound like 'on' or 'ən'.

Word family

  • Col
    nounB2
  • Collette
    nounB2

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchEnglish

From the Old French diminutive 'Colin', which is a pet form of 'Col' — a shortened version of the name Nicolas (Nicholas). That name comes from Greek Νικόλαος (Nikolaos), made up of 'nikē' (victory) and 'laos' (people). So the name Colin ultimately carries the idea of 'victory of the people', though it is now used simply as an ordinary first name with no special meaning attached.