epicentre

British  

/ ˈɛpɪˌsɛntə /

noun

1. the point on the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake or underground nuclear explosion Compare focus

2. informal the absolute centre of something

   the epicentre of world sprinting

---

Other Word Forms

• epicentral adjective

Etymology

Origin of epicentre

C19: from New Latin epicentrum, from Greek epikentros over the centre, from _epi- + kentron needle; see _centre

Example Sentences

The capital, Havana, which has seen blackouts of up to 15 hours a day, has been the epicentre of recent protests.

From BBC

Another European military source, also speaking anonymously, said conducting the attack far from the conflict's epicentre was a "show of force aimed at major rivals" such as China and Russia.

From Barron's

The epicentre of fighting has shifted to the south-central Kordofan region since both sides consolidated their gains in the other main battlefields of this nearly three-year war.

From BBC

This is the epicentre of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak that has – in the past year – swept across eight of the country's nine provinces, devastating animal herds, with many cattle being killed to halt its spread.

From BBC

The United Nations has described the region as the "epicentre" of global jihadist violence.

From BBC