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You are here: Experts > Arts/Humanities > Writing > Etymology (Meaning of Words) > meaning of the word center
Expert: Carol Pozefsky - 11/10/2009
Question
i was wondering where the word center came from. i know that cent comes from centum meaning 100 but how did the word center come to be in relation to the center of objects. like center of room or i guess meaning middle point
Answer
Hello I hope you are having a fine week,
Here is the origin of the word 'center' from the Dictionary of Etymology:
late 14c., from O.Fr. centre, from L. centrum "center," orig. fixed point of the two points of a compass, from Gk. kentron "sharp point, goad," from kentein "stitch," from PIE base *kent- "to prick" (cf. Breton kentr "a spur," O.H.G. hantag "sharp, pointed"). The verb is from 1620s. Spelling with -re popularized in Britain by Johnson's dictionary, though -er is older. Center of gravity is recorded from 1650s.
Best to you always, CP
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