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, sen-trahl]

noun

plural

centrals ,

plural

centrales .

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 street in a city

   the central material of a golf ball

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

Other Word Forms

• centrally 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

Since the end of apartheid, the club has weathered several crises, including a fire in June 2005 that destroyed much of the building, together with a stained-glass dome above the central staircase.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It affects the macula, the central region of the retina that contains tightly packed cells used for sharp, detailed color vision.

Read more on Science Daily

Ammonia plays a central role in fertilizer production and is vital to modern agriculture.

Read more on Science Daily

These public debates led economists and market participants to doubt there was enough support within the Fed for another interest-rate cut at the central bank’s upcoming Dec. 10 policy meeting.

Read more on MarketWatch

Gen. Rob Bonta ponders a run for governor, he faces scrutiny for his ties to people central to a federal corruption investigation in Oakland and payments to private attorneys.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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