center
pronunciation
How to pronounce center in British English:
UK [ˈsentə(r)]
How to pronounce center in American English:
US [ˈsentər]
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- Noun:
- an area that is approximately central within some larger region
- the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher
- a building dedicated to a particular activity
- a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
- the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
- the object upon which interest and attention focuses
- a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process
- the middle of a military or naval formation
- (basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
- (football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback
- a place where some particular activity is concentrated
- politically moderate persons; centrists
- (ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
- the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
- mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace
- the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
- the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play
- a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the center jump to start the game
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- Verb:
- center upon
- direct one's attention on something
- move into the center
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- Adjective:
- equally distant from the extremes
- of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually
Word Origin
- center (n.)
- late 14c., "middle point of a circle; point round which something revolves," from Old French centre (14c.), from Latin centrum "center," originally fixed point of the two points of a drafting compass, from Greek kentron "sharp point, goad, sting of a wasp," from kentein "stitch," from PIE root *kent- "to prick" (cognates: Breton kentr "a spur," Welsh cethr "nail," Old High German hantag "sharp, pointed"). Figuratively from 1680s. Meaning "the middle of anything" attested from 1590s. Spelling with -re popularized in Britain by Johnson's dictionary (following Bailey's), though -er is older and was used by Shakespeare, Milton, and Pope. Center of gravity is recorded from 1650s. Center of attention is from 1868.
- center (v.)
- 1590s, "to concentrate at a center," from center (n.). Related: Centered; centering. Meaning "to rest as at a center" is from 1620s. Sports sense of "to hit toward the center" is from 1890. To be centered on is from 1713. In combinations, -centered is attested by 1958.
Example
- 1. I am the center of attention .
- 2. You see a person without integrity , without a center .
- 3. The line it creates draws focus to the center of your face .
- 4. Who 's the best center of all time ?
- 5. They were the smartest , and took their seats near the center .