COLONEL, the superior officer of a regiment of infantry or cavalry (derived either from Lat. columna, Fr. colonne, column, or Lat. corona, a crown) ; also an officer of corresponding rank in the general army list. The colonelcy of a regiment formerly im plied a proprietary right in it. Whether the colonel commanded it directly in the field or not, he always superintended its finance and interior economy, and the emoluments of the office, in the i8th century, were often the only form of pay drawn by general officers. The general officers of the i7th and i8th centuries were invariably colonels of regiments, and in this case the active com mand was exercised by the lieutenant-colonels. At the present day, British general officers are often, though not always, given the colonelcy of a regiment, which has become almost purely an honorary office. The sovereign, foreign sovereigns, royal princes and others, hold honorary colonelcies, as colonels-in-chief or hon orary colonels of many regiments. In other armies, the regiment being a fighting unit—usually of three battalions, the colonel is its active commander; in the British army the battalions of a regi ment serve separately—normally one abroad and one at home in peace—and are organized in brigades composed of battalions of different regiments. Thus i8th century practice has become the modern regulation, and a lieutenant-colonel is the commanding officer of the battalion of infantry and regiment of cavalry. Col onels are actively employed in the army at large in staff appoint ments, brigade commands, etc., extra-regimentally. Colonel-gen eral, a rank formerly used in many armies, still survives in the German service, a colonel-general (General-Oberst) ranking be tween a general of infantry, cavalry or artillery, and a general field marshal (General-Feld-marschall). Colonels-general are usually given the honorary rank of general field marshal.