centric

¹

[ sen-trik ]

adjective

1. pertaining to or situated at the center; central.
2. Anatomy, Physiology. pertaining to or originating at a nerve center.

-centric

²

1. a combining form with the meanings “having a center or centers” of the specified number or kind ( polycentric ); “centered upon, focused around” that named by the first element ( ethnocentric; heliocentric ).

-centric

¹

suffix forming adjectives

1. having a centre as specified

   heliocentric

centric

²

/ sɛnˈtrɪsɪtɪ; ˈsɛntrɪk /

adjective

1. being central or having a centre
2. relating to or originating at a nerve centre
3. botany
   1. Alsoconcentric (of vascular bundles) having one type of tissue completely surrounding the other
   2. (of leaves, such as those of the onion) cylindrical

Derived Forms

• ˈcentrically, adverb
• centricity, noun

Other Words From

• centri·cal·ly adverb
• cen·tric·i·ty [sen-, tris, -i-tee], noun
• multi·centric adjective
• un·centric adjective
• un·centri·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of centric¹

1580–90; < Greek kentrikós of, pertaining to a cardinal point, equivalent to kéntr ( on ) ( center ) + -ikos -ic

Origin of centric²

centr-, -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of centric¹

abstracted from eccentric , concentric , etc

Example Sentences

In many ways these attitudes reflect the increasingly urban-centric focus of the party.

From The Daily Beast

It was the scene that launched a thousand HBO subscriptions—and one misguided, mammary-centric New Yorker think piece.

From The Daily Beast

Second, the government may be responding to a quaint if U.S.-centric urge to care for its own.

From The Daily Beast

Technically, White should seem out of step with our current pop-centric culture: leaden, irrelevant, dinosauric.

From The Daily Beast

And “Two Swords” was one of the show's finest character-centric episodes to date.

From The Daily Beast

Serious reverses soon followed, and the fatally ex-centric position of the corps in Naples was then immediately apparent.

From Project Gutenberg

To my mind, Professor Perry rendered philosophic discussion a real service when he coined the phrase "ego-centric predicament."

From Project Gutenberg

But this deep-set theoretic notion had to give way, and the helio-centric theory may, in its turn, have to give way also.

From Project Gutenberg

Children of four are not nearly so completely ego-centric as those of three.

From Project Gutenberg

He was kind to the poor, walked much, talked to himself as he walked, and was known by the humble sort as "a'centric."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• basic
• essential
• fundamental
• important
• key
• paramount
• pivotal
• significant

Words That Use -centric

What does -centric mean?

The combining form -centric is used like a suffix meaning variously “having a center or centers” of the specified number or kind or “centered upon, focused around.” It is often used in a variety of technical and everyday terms.

The form -centric comes from a combination of two combining forms. The first is centr-, meaning “center,” from Latin centrum. The second form is the suffix -ic, from Latin -icus, which has a variety of meanings, including “having some characteristics of.”

Examples of -centric

One example of a technical term that uses the form -centric is heliocentric, “measured or considered as being seen from the center of the sun.”

The form helio- means “sun,” from Greek hḗlios. The -centric part of the word means “having a center.” Heliocentric literally translates to “having the sun at the center.”

What are some words that use the combining form -centric?

• acrocentric
• androcentric
• dicentric
• egocentric
• ethnocentric
• Eurocentric

What are some other forms that -centric may be commonly confused with?

• -cele
• -cene
• -cephalic
• -etic

Break it down!

The combining form andro- means “male.” With this in mind, what does androcentric literally translate to?