century

¹

[sen-chuh-ree]

noun

plural

centuries 

1. a period of 100 years.

2. one of the successive periods of 100 years reckoned forward or backward from a recognized chronological epoch, especially from the assumed date of the birth of Jesus.

3. any group or collection of 100.

   a century of limericks.

4. (in the ancient Roman army) a company, consisting of approximately 100 men.

5. one of the voting divisions of the ancient Roman people, each division having one vote.

6. (initial capital letter),  a style of type.

7. Slang.,  a hundred-dollar bill; 100 dollars.

8. Sports.,  a race of 100 yards or meters, as in track or swimming, or of 100 miles, as in bicycle racing.

9. Cricket.,  a score of at least 100 runs made by one batsman in a single inning.

-century

²

[sen-chuh-ree]

1. a combining form of century, affixed to the number that specifies the 100-year span cited, and used only as an adjective.

   19th-century American literature;

   a collection of 6th-century metal sculptures that was stolen in the late 20th century.

century

/ ˈsɛntʃərɪ /

noun

1. a period of 100 years

2. one of the successive periods of 100 years dated before or after an epoch or event, esp the birth of Christ

3. 1. a score or grouping of 100

      to score a century in cricket

   2. ( as modifier )

      the basketball team passed the century mark in their last game

4. (in ancient Rome) a unit of foot soldiers, originally 100 strong, later consisting of 60 to 80 men See also maniple

5. (in ancient Rome) a division of the people for purposes of voting

6. (often capital) a style of type

Other Word Forms

• half-century noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of century¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin centuria “unit made up of 100 parts (especially a company of soldiers),” equivalent to cent(um) “hundred” + -uria, perhaps extracted from decuria “a division of 10 men”; decury

Word History and Origins

Origin of century¹

C16: from Latin centuria, from centum hundred

Idioms and Phrases

see turn of the century.

Example Sentences

Early in the century the composers Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison regularly visited productions of Peking Opera, which is — like “Journey to West” — an innovation of 17th century China and still regularly revived.

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After massive success at the Division III, Division II, Football Championship Subdivision and Football Bowl Subdivision levels, Chesney now takes on his greatest challenge — reviving a Big Ten team that hasn’t achieved anything of national significance in more than a quarter of a century.

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Charles Baudelaire, 19th century poet, was journalistic criticism’s first great practitioner.

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With its mild weather and acres of empty land, turn-of-the-20th century L.A. was perfect for two burgeoning industries: flight and film.

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Designers from Disney, Paramount and 20th Century Fox helped design a 1,000-acre canopy that would make the airport indistinguishable from the neighborhood that surrounded it.

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