centaur

[ sen-tawr ]

See synonyms for centaur on Thesaurus.com

noun

Classical Mythology. one of a race of creatures having the head, trunk, and arms of a man, and the body and legs of a horse.
Cen·taur, Astronomy. the constellation Centaurus.

a skillful horseman or horsewoman.
Cen·taur, Rocketry. a U.S. upper stage, with a restartable liquid-propellant engine, used with an Atlas or Titan booster to launch satellites and probes.

Origin of centaur

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, Old English, from Latin centaurus, from Greek kéntauros

Other words from centaur

cen·tau·ri·al [sen-tawr-ee-uhl], /ˌsɛnˈtɔr i əl/, cen·tau·ri·an, cen·tau·ric, adjective

Words Nearby centaur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use centaur in a sentence

That means Chariklo likely has one or more tiny shepherd moons itself, making the centaur a miniature solar system.
Chariklo, a Minor Planet Nicknamed a “Centaur,” Discovered to Have Rings | Matthew R. Francis | April 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This position, along with its composition of rock and ice, marks Chariklo as a “centaur.”
Chariklo, a Minor Planet Nicknamed a “Centaur,” Discovered to Have Rings | Matthew R. Francis | April 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Another of the most beautiful, on account of its regularity, is that of the centaur (Fig. 22).
Astronomy for Amateurs | Camille Flammarion
With the grace of a centaur, the rider swung his mount in beside them and doffed his hat.
Hidden Gold | Wilder Anthony
Deaneira took the robe, but said nothing to her husband of the centaur's gift, hoping that she would never have to make use of it.
Stories of Old Greece and Rome | Emilie Kip Baker

The poisoned tip sank deep233 into the centaur's side, and he knew at once that he had received his death-wound.
Stories of Old Greece and Rome | Emilie Kip Baker
"I harnessed him to the wagonette with Linda," returned the centaur, with an angry look at the listening Valentina.
The Fourth Estate, vol.1 | Armando Palacio Valds

British Dictionary definitions for centaur

centaur

/ (ˈsɛntɔː) /

noun

Greek myth one of a race of creatures with the head, arms, and torso of a man, and the lower body and legs of a horse

Origin of centaur

C14: from Latin, from Greek kentauros, of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Centaur

Centaur

[ sĕn′tôr′ ]

Any of a group of icy bodies similar to both asteroids and comets, orbiting the Sun in elliptical paths mostly in the region between Saturn and Neptune. Centaurs range in diameter from around 100 to 400 km (62 to 248 mi) and are believed to be Kuiper belt objects that have escaped into the vicinity of the gas-giant planets. Centaurs are considered to have unstable orbits, and gravitational encounters with the large outer planets could send them into the inner solar system or alternatively could eject them from the solar system into interstellar space. Chiron, the first such body to be classified as a Centaur, was discovered in 1977.

Browse