central

¹

[ sen-truhl ]

adjective

1. of or forming the center:

   the central hut in the village.

2. in, at, or near the center:

   a central position.

3. constituting something from which other related things proceed or upon which they depend:

   a central office.

4. principal; chief; dominant:

   the play's central character.

   Synonyms: primary, leading, key, main, major

5. Anatomy, Zoology.
   1. of or relating to the central nervous system.
   2. of or relating to the centrum of a vertebra.
6. Phonetics. (of a speech sound) produced with the tongue articulating neither expressly forward nor in the back part of the mouth, as any of the sounds of lull.
7. Physics. (of a force) directed to or from a fixed point.

noun

1. (formerly)
   1. a main telephone exchange.
   2. a telephone operator at such an exchange.

central

²

[ sen-trahl; Spanish sen-trahl ]

noun

, plural cen·trals, Spanish cen·tra·les [sen-, trah, -les].

1. (in Spanish America and the Philippines) a mill for crushing cane into raw sugar.

Central

³

[ sen-truhl ]

noun

1. a region in central Scotland. 1,016 sq. mi. (2,631 sq. km).

central

/ ˈsɛntrəl /

adjective

1. in, at, of, from, containing, or forming the centre of something

   the central material of a golf ball

   the central street in a city

2. main, principal, or chief; most important

   the central cause of a problem

3. 1. of or relating to the central nervous system
   2. of or relating to the centrum of a vertebra
4. of, relating to, or denoting a vowel articulated with the tongue held in an intermediate position halfway between the positions for back and front vowels, as for the a of English soda
5. (of a force) directed from or towards a point
6. informal.
   immediately postpositive used to describe a place where a specified thing, quality, etc is to be found in abundance

   nostalgia central

Derived Forms

• ˈcentrally, adverb

Other Words From

• central·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of central¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin centrālis, “centrally located,” equivalent to centr(um) center + -ālis -al ¹

Origin of central²

First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin American Spanish, special use of Spanish central central ¹

Example Sentences

Night after night, Georgians have filled the broad central avenue that runs past parliament, in such great numbers there is barely space to move, on the road or the pavement either side.

From BBC

"If the object has a liquid central core, then a captured PBH can absorb the liquid core, whose density is higher than the density of the outer solid layer," Stojkovic says.

From Science Daily

The rebels are now battling the military near the central city of Hama, while the government’s key ally Russia is carrying out air strikes against them.

From BBC

The vast central African country currently accounts for about 63% of the global supply of the mineral, the bulk of which is exported raw.

From BBC

McQueen saw “Blitz” as a story of love, with the bond between mother and child central to the tale.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• basic
• essential
• fundamental
• important
• key
• paramount
• pivotal
• significant