centenary

American  

[sen-ten-uh-ree, sen-tn-er-ee, sen-tee-nuh-ree] / sɛnˈtɛn ə ri, ˈsɛn tnˌɛr i, sɛnˈti nə ri /

adjective

1. of or relating to a period of 100 years.

2. recurring once in every 100 years.

   a centenary celebration.

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noun

centenaries plural

1. a centennial.

2. a period of 100 years; century.

centenary British  

/ sɛnˈtiːnərɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to a period of 100 years

2. occurring once every 100 years

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noun

1. a 100th anniversary or its celebration

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• centenaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of centenary

1600–10; < Latin centēnārius (adj.), equivalent to centēn ( ī ) a hundred each ( cent ( um ) 100 + -ēnī distributive suffix) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

A centenary is the hundredth anniversary of some event. When your great grandfather turns 100, his birthday party will be the centenary of his birth. If your town is celebrating its centenary, that means it's exactly 100 years old. You can also use this word as an adjective, to describe something that's been around for a hundred years: "The orchestra's centenary concert will happen next summer." Centenary comes from the Latin centum, "hundred," which is also the root of its synonym, centennial.