Columniated

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Provided with columns or arranged in the manner of a row of columns, as in certain architectural designs
2. Having a structure composed of upright pillars that support or decorate a building or other form
3. Fitted or ornamented with vertical supports called columns, typically in classical or monumental architecture

Etymology: "Columniated" is an alternative spelling of "columnated," meaning furnished or decorated with columns. The root is "column," which entered English from Latin "columna," a pillar or post, and which traces back to the same idea of something upright and load-bearing. Adding the suffix "-ated," from the Latin past participle ending "-atus," turned the noun into an adjective describing a building or space that has columns set along it. The spelling with "-iate" appears as a variant of the more common "-ate" form, which is the version most dictionaries list first. Both forms describe the same architectural feature, and the difference is purely orthographic, so a reader meeting either spelling is looking at one word with one meaning.