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definitions

central

1
[ sen-truhl ]
/ ˈsɛn trəl /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR central ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

noun

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

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RELATED WORDS

paramount, key, important, pivotal, fundamental, basic, significant, essential, prime, salient, dominant, center, radical, median, primary, middle, chief, intermediate, master, ruling

Nearby words

  1. cento,
  2. centonical,
  3. centr-,
  4. centra,
  5. centrad,
  6. central african,
  7. central african empire,
  8. central african republic,
  9. central america,
  10. central american

Origin of central

1
1640–50; < Latin centrālis, equivalent to centr(um) center + -ālis -al1
Related formscen·tral·ly, adverb

Definition for central (2 of 3)

central

2
[ sen-trahl; Spanish sen-trahl ]
/ sɛnˈtrɑl; Spanish sɛnˈtrɑl /

noun, plural cen·trals, Spanish cen·tra·les [sen-trah-les] /sɛnˈtrɑ lɛs/.

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

Origin of central

2
< American Spanish, special use of Spanish central central1

Definition for central (3 of 3)

Central

[ sen-truh l ]
/ ˈsɛn trəl /

noun

a region in central Scotland. 1016 sq. mi. (2631 sq. km).
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for central

British Dictionary definitions for central

central

/ (ˈsɛntrəl) /

adjective

in, at, of, from, containing, or forming the centre of somethingthe central street in a city; the central material of a golf ball
main, principal, or chief; most importantthe central cause of a problem
  1. of or relating to the central nervous system
  2. of or relating to the centrum of a vertebra
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
(of a force) directed from or towards a point
informal (immediately postpositive) used to describe a place where a specified thing, quality, etc is to be found in abundancenostalgia central
Derived Formscentrally, adverb
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

Word Origin and History for central

central

adj.

1640s, from French central or directly from Latin centralis "pertaining to a center," from centrum (see center (n.)). Centrally is attested perhaps as early as early 15c., which might imply a usage of central earlier than the attested date.

Slightly older is centric (1580s). As a U.S. colloquial noun for "central telephone exchange," first recorded 1889 (hence, "Hello, Central?"). Central processing unit attested from 1961. Central America is attested from 1826.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper