epicenter
[ep-uh-sen-ter]
- Also epicentrum. Geology. a point, directly above the true center of disturbance, from which the shock waves of an earthquake apparently radiate.
- a focal point, as of activity: Manhattan's Chinatown is the epicenter of the city's Chinese community.
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Also especially British, ep·i·cen·tre.
Origin of epicenter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for epicenter
Contemporary Examples
Since then, Kisangani has been the epicenter of nearly every rebellion in the Congo.
It seemed that I, a staunch feminist, had found myself in the epicenter of macho culture.
The fact that these tensions are present even at the epicenter of the mindfulness world is telling.
Liberia, the epicenter of the epidemic, was relying on just 50 doctors to care for the entire nation before the outbreak occurred.
It removes Europe as the epicenter of creativity in a post-African world.
Historical Examples
The ground motion near the epicenter was so violent that the tops of some trees were snapped off.
EarthquakesKaye M. Shedlock
The location of an earthquake is commonly described by the geographic position of its epicenter and by its focal depth.
EarthquakesKaye M. Shedlock
The Santa Cruz mountains suffered little damage from the seismic waves, even though they were close to the epicenter.
EarthquakesKaye M. Shedlock
Word Origin and History for epicenter
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
epicenter
[ĕp′ĭ-sĕn′tər]
- The point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the focus (the point of origin) of an earthquake. The epicenter is usually the location where the greatest damage associated with an earthquake occurs. See Note at earthquake.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.