fifth column

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

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 quinta columna consisting of his militant supporters within the capital, intent on undermining the Republican government from within.

Noun

fifth column (plural fifth columns)

1. (dated) A group of people which clandestinely undermines a larger group, such as a nation, to which it is expected to be loyal.

Translations

a group of people which clandestinely undermines a larger group, such as a nation, to which it is expected to be loyal

• Belarusian: пятая калона (be) (pjátaja kalóna) f
• Bulgarian: пета колона (bg) (péta kolóna) f
• Catalan: cinquena columna (ca) f, quinta columna (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 第五縱隊 (cmn), 第五纵队 (cmn) (dì wǔ zòngduì)

• Czech: pátá kolona (cs) f

• French: cinquième colonne (fr) f
• German: Fünfte Kolonne (de) f
• Japanese: 第五列 (ja) (だいごれつ, daigoretsu), 第５列 (ja) (だいごれつ, daigoretsu)
• Polish: piąta kolumna (pl) f
• Portuguese: quinta coluna (pt) f
• Russian: пятая колонна (ru) (pjátaja kolónna) f
• Ukrainian: п'ята колона (uk) (p'játa kolóna) f

Derived terms

• fifth columnism
• fifth columnist