fifth column
English
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fifth column
Where it comes from
From a 1936 radio address by Spanish Nationalist general Emilio Mola, in which he spoke of four of his army columns moving on Madrid and a fifth column (quinta columna) consisting of his militant supporters within the capital, intent on undermining the Republican government from within.
noun fifth columns · 5th column
- A group of people which clandestinely undermines a larger group, such as a nation, to which it is expected to be loyal. The rebels, who in November 1936 had fought to enter and failed, walked in yesterday as troops of the generally recognised Spanish Government, and not a shot was fired at them. The supporters of Franco in the city, the “fifth column” he once spoke of, had been waiting for this moment for more than t
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see fifth, column.
Translations
Every language
noun group of people
| Español | quinta columna |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 第五列 daigoretsu, 第５列 daigoretsu |
| 中文 | 第五縱隊 /第五纵队 dì wǔ zòngduì |
| Português | quinta coluna |
| Français | cinquième colonne |
| Deutsch | Fünfte Kolonne |
| Ελληνικά | πέμπτη φάλαγγα pémpti fálanga |
| Русский | пя́тая коло́нна pjátaja kolónna |
| العربية | الطَّابُورُ الخَامِس aṭ-ṭābūru l-ḵāmis |
Talk about this word "fifth column." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fifth%20column. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. fifth column. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fifth%20column "fifth column." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fifth%20column.Cite this
@misc{fifth_column_2026,
title = {fifth column},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fifth%20column},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
