Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Colon

Colon (kō"lon) , noun

[Latin colon, colum, limb, member, the largest of the intestines, from Greek kw^lon, and in sense of the intestine, ko`lon: compare French colon. Compare Colic.]

[See Illust. of Digestion.]

1.
(Anatomy) That part of the large intestines which extends from the cacum to the rectum. [See Illust. of Digestion.]
2.
(Grammar) A point or character, formed thus [:], used to separate parts of a sentence that are complete in themselves and nearly independent, often taking the place of a conjunction.