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definitions

cento

[sen-toh]
See more synonyms for cento on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of cento

First recorded in 1595–1605, cento is from the Latin word centō patchwork quilt or curtain
Related formscen·ton·i·cal [sen-ton-i-kuh l] /sɛnˈtɒn ɪ kəl/, adjectivecen·to·nism [sen-tn-iz-uh m] /ˈsɛn tnˌɪz əm/, cen·to·ni·za·tion [sen-tn-uh-zey-shuh n] /ˌsɛn tn əˈzeɪ ʃən/, noun

CENTO

[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.

Origin of CENTO

Cen(tral) T(reaty) O(rganization)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for cento

cento

Examples from the Web for cento

Historical Examples of cento

  • But, withal, there are unity and progress in this cento of citations.

  • This work is, for the most part, what the author himself styles it, 'a cento;' but it is a very ingenious one.

    The Anatomy of Melancholy

    Democritus Junior

  • Cento Racconti per divertire gli amici nelle ore oziose e nuovi brindisi per spasso nelle tavole e nelle conversazioni.

    Italian Popular Tales

    Thomas Frederick Crane

  • The last anecdote is quite popular, and is found in a number of popular stories, as well as in the Cento Novelle Antiche.

    Italian Popular Tales

    Thomas Frederick Crane

  • There are several Italian literary versions, the best known being in the Cento nov. ant.

    Italian Popular Tales

    Thomas Frederick Crane

British Dictionary definitions for cento

cento

noun plural -tos
  1. a piece of writing, esp a poem, composed of quotations from other authors

Word Origin for cento

C17: from Latin, literally: patchwork garment

CENTO

n 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
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