Zentrum

German

Alternative forms

• Centrum (pre-1901)

Etymology

From Late Middle High German zentrum (also zenter), from Latin centrum (“centre”), from Ancient Greek κέντρον (kéntron, “centre of a circle, thorn”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡sɛntʁʊm/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Zentrum n (strong, genitive Zentrums, plural Zentren)

1. center, centre
   1. (literally, rather rare) central point, the middle, e.g. of a circle

      Synonyms: Mitte, Mittelpunkt

      Antonyms: Äußeres, Rand, Hülle, Oberfläche

   2. (chiefly with a following genitive) focus, core, the main point

      Synonyms: Kern, Fokus, Hauptsache, Mittelpunkt

      Antonyms: Nebensache, Randerscheinung

      im Zentrum der Aufmerksamkeit ― at the center of attention

   3. a place (or group of people) that dominates and influences its surroundings, e.g. a capital

      Antonyms: Außenbezirk, Hinterland, Peripherie, Provinz

   4. a place set aside for some function or activity

      Jugendzentrum ― youth center

   5. (politics) the moderate political parties, the mainstream (see also the proper noun below)

      Synonym: Mitte

   6. (mathematics) the centre of a group, ring, Lie algebra, etc.
   7. (chess) the spaces d4, d5, e4, e5 on a chessboard

Declension

Declension of Zentrum [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Zentrum	die	Zentren
genitive	eines	des	Zentrums	der	Zentren
dative	einem	dem	Zentrum	den	Zentren
accusative	ein	das	Zentrum	die	Zentren

Derived terms

• Einkaufszentrum
• Jugendzentrum
• Kontrollzentrum
• Stadtzentrum

Proper noun

das Zentrum n (proper noun, strong, usually definite, definite genitive des Zentrums)

1. the Centre Party, a Catholic political party, chiefly in Imperial Germany and the Weimar Republic

Usage notes

• In post-WWII Germany, the CDU/CSU is considered the successor party of the Centre Party, albeit now on an ecumenical Christian basis. The Centre Party does still exist as a fringe party with some 600 members.

Further reading

• “Zentrum” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Zentrum” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Zentrum” in Duden online

Hunsrik

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡sɛntrum/

Noun

Zentrum n (plural Zentre)

1. center

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Plautdietsch

Noun

Zentrum n (plural --)

1. center