cento

¹

[ sen-toh ]

noun

, plural cen·tos.

1. a piece of writing, especially a poem, composed wholly of quotations from the works of other authors.
2. anything composed of incongruous parts; conglomeration.
3. Obsolete. a patchwork.

CENTO

²

[ sen-toh ]

noun

1. a former organization (1959–79) for economic and military cooperation, established as successor to the Baghdad Pact, and comprising Great Britain, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. The U.S. had affiliate status.

cento

¹

/ ˈsɛntəʊ /

noun

1. a piece of writing, esp a poem, composed of quotations from other authors

CENTO

²

/ ˈsɛntəʊ /

acronym for

1. Central Treaty Organization; an organization for military and economic cooperation formed in 1959 by the UK, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey as a successor to the Baghdad Pact: disbanded 1979

Other Words From

• cen·ton·i·cal [sen-, ton, -i-k, uh, l], adjective
• cen·to·nism [sen, -tn-iz-, uh, m], cen·to·ni·za·tion [sen-tn-, uh, -, zey, -sh, uh, n], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cento¹

First recorded in 1595–1605, cento is from the Latin word centō patchwork quilt or curtain

Origin of cento²

Cen(tral) T(reaty) O(rganization)

Word History and Origins

Origin of cento¹

C17: from Latin, literally: patchwork garment

Example Sentences

This, then, the reader must always keep in mind when he is examining for himself any examples of cinque-cento work.

From Project Gutenberg

By the best sculptors it is always used with this symbolic meaning, by the cinque cento sculptors as an ornament merely.

From Project Gutenberg

Various insects, like everything else in the world, occur in cinque cento work; grasshoppers most frequently.

From Project Gutenberg

I must observe here, that the "Lament of Tasso" is, in fact, a cento taken from Tasso's minor poems.

From Project Gutenberg

Not far from the before-mentioned building we come upon the “Cento Camarelle,” a prison consisting of a multitude of small cells.

From Project Gutenberg