cento

¹ American  

[sen-toh] / ˈsɛn toʊ /

noun

plural

centos

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.

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CENTO ² American  

[sen-toh] / ˈsɛn toʊ /

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.

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CENTO ¹ British  

/ ˈsɛntəʊ /

acronym

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

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cento ² British  

/ ˈsɛntəʊ /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• centonical adjective
• centonism noun
• centonization noun

Etymology

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)

Example Sentences

Plus expansions for Cento, Madre and El Ruso, and a Tokyo-Italian restaurant is in the works for 2022.

From Los Angeles Times

Tomato passata, an uncooked tomato puree from brands such as Mutti, DeLallo and Cento, can be found at well-stocked supermarkets.

From Washington Post

Author’s Note: A cento, from the Latin for “patchwork,” is a collage poem composed of lines from other sources.

From Scientific American

Cento, one of the supermarket staple brands, shares how tomato paste is made: “After sorting, the tomatoes are ground into a mash. The mash is then cooked until a looser, brighter red and fresher tasting paste is produced. The paste is spun at high speeds to remove the pulp and seeds. Once this process is complete, the paste is placed in evaporation tanks where the water is removed.”

From Washington Post

Firefighter Eric Cento, who has worked two extra volunteer shifts weekly, administered a shot to a homebound Holocaust survivor in her late 90s earlier this year.

From Seattle Times