dead center
noun Machinery.
Also called dead point.
(in a reciprocating engine) either of two positions at which the crank cannot be turned by the connecting rod, occurring at each end of a stroke when the crank and connecting rod are in the same line.
See under center(def 19a).
Origin of dead center
First recorded in 1870–75
OTHER WORDS FROM dead center
dead-cen·ter, adjectiveWords nearby dead center
Definition for dead center (2 of 2)
center
[ sen-ter ]
/ ˈsɛn tər /
noun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
Also
especially British,
cen·tre.
Origin of center
1325–75; variant of Middle English
centre < Latin
centrum < Greek
kéntron needle, spur, pivoting point in drawing a circle, derivative of
kenteîn to sting
usage note for center
28. Although sometimes condemned for alleged illogicality, the phrases
center about and
center around have appeared in edited writing for more than a century to express the sense of gathering or collecting as if around a center:
The objections center around the question of fiscal responsibility.
OTHER WORDS FROM center
cen·ter·a·ble, adjective cen·ter·less, adjective su·per·cen·ter, nounBritish Dictionary definitions for dead center
Medical definitions for dead center
center
[ sĕn′tər ]
n.
A point or place in the body that is equally distant from its sides or outer boundaries; the middle.
A group of neurons in the central nervous system that control a particular function.
Idioms and Phrases with dead center
center