centre
EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
- Borrowed from Middle French centre, from Latin centrum, from Ancient Greek κέντρον (kéntron), from κεντεῖν (kenteîn, “to prick, goad”). Doublet of centrum.
- (group theory): In the notation Z(G), the letter Z derives from the German Zentrum (“centre”).
PronunciationEdit
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈsen.tə(ɹ)/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈsɛn.tɚ/, [ˈsɛ.ɾ̃ɚ]
Audio (US) (file) - (pin–pen merger) IPA(key): [ˈsɪɾ̃ɚ]
- Hyphenation: cen‧tre
- Rhymes: -ɛntə(ɹ)
- Homophone: sinner (pin-pen merger)
- Homophone: center
NounEdit
centre (plural centres)
- The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference. [from 14th c.]
- 1908, Thomas L. Heath, translating Euclid, Elements, III.9:
- If a point be taken within a circle, and more than two equal straight lines fall from the point on the circle, the point taken is the centre of the circle.
- 1908, Thomas L. Heath, translating Euclid, Elements, III.9:
- The point in the interior of a sphere that is equidistant from all points on the circumference. [from 14th c.]
- 2005, David Adam, The Guardian, 4 Jun 2005:
- Japanese scientists are to explore the centre of the Earth. Using a giant drill ship launched next month, the researchers aim to be the first to punch a hole through the rocky crust that covers our planet and to reach the mantle below.
- 2005, David Adam, The Guardian, 4 Jun 2005:
- The middle portion of something; the part well away from the edges.
- (middle portion) 1944 November and December, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 343:
- So after a short spell in the brass foundry the wisest course was to follow with a similar period in the steel foundry, where much important work was done, including the manufacture of centres for wheels.
- (obsolete) The innermost point of the Earth, or the Earth itself, as the centre or foundation of the Universe; the centre or foundation of the Universe abstractly.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, lines 73-75:
- [...] their portion set
As far remov'd from God and light of Heav'n
As from the Center thrice to th'utmost Pole.
- c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene i], page 282, column 2:
- Leo. No: if I mistake
In those Foundations which I build upon,
The Centre is not bigge enough to beare
A Schoole-Boyes Top.
- (middle portion)
- (geometry) The point on a line that is midway between the ends.
- (geometry) The point in the interior of any figure of any number of dimensions that has as its coordinates the arithmetic mean of the coordinates of all points on the perimeter of the figure (or of all points in the interior for a centre of volume).
- (group theory, ring theory) The subgroup (respectively, subring), denoted Z(G), of those elements of a given group (respectively, ring) G that commute with every element of G.
- A place where the greater part of some function or activity occurs.
- shopping centre, convention centre, civic centre, garment centre, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Rockefeller Center
- A pivotal part in the political constitution of a country
- The ensemble of moderate or centrist political parties.
- The venue in which the head of government in a centralized state is situated.
- 2018, Pál Fodor, The Business of State. Ottoman Finance Administration and Ruling Elites in Transition (1580s–1615) (Studien zur Sprache, Geschichte und Kultur der Turkvölker; 28), Berlin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag × De Gruyter, published 2020, DOI: , →ISBN, page 50:
- In Anatolia tensions between state officials (ehl-i örf) and the peasants were strained to breaking point.
At several places—particularly in the frontier provinces—there were fierce clashes between the janissaries stationed there and the governors. In Aleppo and Damascus incidents were common after 1589: the kuls threw rocks at the beylerbeyi’s house, killed people, broke into the divan several times and took the money prepared by the council for remittance to the centre.
- A topic that is particularly important in a given context, the element in a subject of cognition, volition or discussion that is perceived as decisive.
- the centre of the controversy
- the centre of attention
- (sports) A player in the middle of a playing area
- (basketball) The player, generally the tallest, who plays closest to the basket.
- (ice hockey) The forward that generally plays between the left wing and right wing and usually takes the faceoffs.
- (American football, Canadian football) The person who holds the ball at the beginning of each play.
- (netball) A player who can go all over the court, except the shooting circles.
- (soccer) A pass played into the centre of the pitch.
- 2010 December 28, Owen Phillips, “Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool”, in BBC[1]:
- Bent twice sent efforts wide of the far post after cutting in from the left, Wellbeck missed his kick from an inviting centre and failed to get on the end of a looping pass when six yards out.
- (rugby) One of the backs operating in a central area of the pitch, either the inside centre or outside centre.
- 2011 February 4, Gareth Roberts, “Wales 19-26 England”, in BBC[2]:
- Gatland's side got back to within striking distance when fly-half Jones's clever pass sent centre Jonathan Davies arcing round Shontayne Hape.
- A certain mechanical implement functioning in the middle of a whole apparatus
- (architecture) A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.
- (engineering) One of the two conical steel pins in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.
- (engineering) A conical recess or indentation in the end of a shaft or other work, to receive the point of a centre, on which the work can turn, as in a lathe.
- (Australia, New Zealand) The ring in the gambling game two-up in which the spinner operates.
- (Taixuanjing tetragram) 𝌆
- U+1D306, 𝌆 UNICODE TETRAGRAM FOR CENTRE
SynonymsEdit
- (point on a line midway between the ends): midpoint; see also Thesaurus:midpoint
- (point in the interior of figure with mean coordinates): centroid, centre of gravity, centre of mass
- (middle portion of something): middle, midst
AntonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
- adjustment centre
- alt-centre
- area control centre
- behind centre
- bottom dead centre
- call centre
- centre back
- centre circle
- centre console
- Centre County
- centre field
- centre fielder
- centre forward
- centre forward
- centre mark
- centre of attention
- centre of attention
- centre of buoyancy
- centre of buoyancy
- centre of curvature
- centre of curvature
- centre of effort
- centre of effort
- centre of gravity
- centre of gravity
- centre of inertia
- centre of inertia
- centre of lift
- centre of lift
- centre of mass
- centre of mass
- centre of symmetry
- centre punch
- centre spot
- centre spread
- centre square
- centre stage
- centre stage
- centre tap
- centre-back
- centre-board
- centreboard
- centrecab
- centredness
- centrefold
- centrepiece
- centrepiece
- Centreville
- chiral centre
- city centre
- civic centre
- civic centre
- community centre
- control centre
- convention centre
- cooling centre
- correction centre
- correctional centre
- corrections centre
- cost centre
- crisis centre
- cultural centre
- data centre
- day care centre
- day centre
- dead centre
- dead-centre
- drop-in centre
- entertainment centre
- feminine of centre
- fitness centre
- front and centre
- fusion centre
- gaming centre
- garden centre
- germinal centre
- health centre
- high centre
- high-centre
- job centre
- left-of-centre
- leisure centre
- masculine of centre
- media centre
- medical centre
- music centre
- nerve centre
- Nickel Centre
- off-centre
- pleasure centre
- power centre
- profit centre
- radical centre
- reception centre
- reception centre
- right-of-centre
- science centre
- shopping centre
- side centre
- sports centre
- tactical air control centre
- Thames Centre
- three-centre two-electron bond
- tonal centre
- top dead centre
- town centre
- under centre
- warming centre
- wilderness treatment centre
- world trade centre
- youth centre
- youth detention centre
TranslationsEdit
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
AdjectiveEdit
centre (not comparable)
- Of, at, or related to a centre.
SynonymsEdit
TranslationsEdit
VerbEdit
centre (third-person singular simple present centres, present participle centring or centreing, simple past and past participle centred)
- (transitive) To cause (an object) to occupy the centre of an area.
- 1962 February, “Talking of Trains: The "Midland Pullman"”, in Modern Railways, page 77:
- One controversy which has not had an airing in discussion of the new Transport Bill is that centring on the status of the Pullman Car Co.
- ????, Matthew Prior, Celia to Damon
- Thy joys are centred all in me alone.
- He centred the heading of the document.
- (transitive) To cause (some attribute, such as a mood or voltage) to be adjusted to a value which is midway between the extremes.
- (transitive) To give (something) a central basis.
- 2012, Michael Kaminski et al., Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars: An Anthology, chapter 7, 87:
- However, Lucas also centered the plot around the protection of the secret Death Star plans, which now filled the role of the clan treasure the enemy is seeking in Hidden Fortress; […]
- 2012, Michael Kaminski et al., Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars: An Anthology, chapter 7, 87:
- (intransitive) To concentrate on (something), to pay close attention to (something).
- The plot centres on the life of a working-class family.
- The discussion centred around the recent issues.
- (engineering) To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a centre.
Usage notesEdit
The indirect object of the intransitive verb is given the prepositions on, in, at, or around. At is primary used only in mathematical contexts. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary observes that centre around is objected to by some people on the grounds that it is illogical, but states that it is an idiom, and thus that such objections are irrelevant. It offers revolve around as an alternative to centre around for those who would avoid the idiom.
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
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Further readingEdit
- centre in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- centre in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- centre at OneLook Dictionary Search
AnagramsEdit
CatalanEdit
EtymologyEdit
Borrowed from Latin centrum, from Ancient Greek κέντρον (kéntron), from κεντεῖν (kenteîn, “to prick, goad”).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
centre m (plural centres)
- center (point in the interior of a circle)
- center (middle portion of something)
- center (place where some function or activity occurs)
- center (topic that is particularly important)
- downtown (business center of a city)
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “centre” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “centre”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
- “centre” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “centre” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
EsperantoEdit
AdverbEdit
centre
FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
Borrowed from Latin centrum, from Ancient Greek κέντρον (kéntron, “sharp point”).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
centre m (plural centres)
- centre, center
- (soccer) cross, specifically one directed into the penalty area
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “centre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
AnagramsEdit
PortugueseEdit
VerbEdit
centre
- inflection of centrar:
SpanishEdit
VerbEdit
centre
- inflection of centrar: