centum
1 Americannoun
adjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of centum1
From Latin; hundred
Origin of centum2
First recorded in 1900–05; from Latin, exemplifying in c- the outcome of Indo-European palatal velar stops characteristic of the group
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This numerical equivalence results from the definition of the “percentage” unit, whose name is derived from the Latin phrase per centum meaning “by the hundred.”
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
Says Long: "The decline in purchasing power of 27%�before a single per centum is deducted for income tax�would outrage anybody but a teacher."
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
Most of the acquired heart disease, that is, at least 65 per centum of it, is due to rheumatism.
From Essays In Pastoral Medicine by ?Malley, Austin
Twenty-five per centum of all women over 60 years of age are found to have gall-stones.
From Essays In Pastoral Medicine by ?Malley, Austin
With the expectant treatment, in convulsive cases, about 28 per centum of the women die, although a use of aconite in these cases may better the prognosis.
From Essays In Pastoral Medicine by ?Malley, Austin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.