century

[ sen-chuh-ree ]

/ ˈsɛn tʃə ri /

noun, plural cen·tu·ries.

a period of 100 years.

one of the successive periods of 100 years reckoned forward or backward from a recognized chronological epoch, especially from the assumed date of the birth of Jesus.

any group or collection of 100: a century of limericks.

(in the ancient Roman army) a company, consisting of approximately 100 men.

one of the voting divisions of the ancient Roman people, each division having one vote.

(initial capital letter) Printing. a style of type.

Slang. a hundred-dollar bill; 100 dollars.

Sports. a race of 100 yards or meters, as in track or swimming, or of 100 miles, as in bicycle racing.

Cricket. a score of at least 100 runs made by one batsman in a single inning.

Origin of century

1525–35; < Latin centuria unit made up of 100 parts, especially company of soldiers, equivalent to cent(um) 100 + -uria, perhaps extracted from decuria decury

OTHER WORDS FROM century

half-cen·tu·ry, noun, plural half·-cen·tu·ries.

Words nearby century

centuple, centuplicate, centurial, centuried, centurion, century, century plant, centésimo, ceo, ceorl, cep

Example sentences from the Web for half-century

After a half-century of frigid relations, the U.S. and Cuba have agreed to a thaw as the result of 18 months of secret talks.

Up To Speed: The Cuba Embargo |Nina Strochlic |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But music devices sound worse than they did a half-century ago.

Five Lessons the Faltering Music Industry Could Learn From TV |Ted Gioia |August 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
I listened to music by Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck and Horace Silver—each of the tracks more than a half-century old.

Jazz (The Music of Coffee and Donuts) Has Respect, But It Needs Love |Ted Gioia |June 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
For more than a half-century before “Stairway to Heaven,” recording artists had been doing this, usually with impunity.

Did Led Zeppelin Steal ‘Stairway to Heaven’? |Ted Gioia |May 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Boko Haram presents a more diabolical danger than anybody could have imagined a half-century ago.

We Built a School in Boko Haram’s Heartland |Michael Daly |May 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Four years more, and the world would reach the half-century mark.

A Little Girl of Long Ago |Amanda Millie Douglas
It has not grown much since, however, and the old adob buildings have not undergone change in a half-century.

America, Volume 6 (of 6) |Joel Cook
On July 16, 1901, occurred the most notable political event in a half-century of Danish history.

The Governments of Europe |Frederic Austin Ogg
At that time New York was hardly more than a big village, such as Boston continued to be for a half-century later.

Washington Irving |Henry W. Boynton
He lived for a half-century between his two ateliers, on the Place Pigalle, and at Neuilly.

Ivory Apes and Peacocks |James Huneker

British Dictionary definitions for half-century (1 of 2)

half-century

noun plural -ies

a period of 50 years during the past half-century

a score or grouping of 50a half-century of points
(as modifier)as I near the half-century mark

British Dictionary definitions for half-century (2 of 2)

century

/ (ˈsɛntʃərɪ) /

noun plural -ries

a period of 100 years

one of the successive periods of 100 years dated before or after an epoch or event, esp the birth of Christ

a score or grouping of 100to score a century in cricket
mainly US (as modifier)the basketball team passed the century mark in their last game

(in ancient Rome) a unit of foot soldiers, originally 100 strong, later consisting of 60 to 80 men See also maniple

(in ancient Rome) a division of the people for purposes of voting

(often capital) a style of type

Word Origin for century

C16: from Latin centuria, from centum hundred

Idioms and Phrases with half-century

century

see turn of the century.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

century

noun, plural cen·tu·ries.

Origin of century

OTHER WORDS FROM century

Words nearby century

Example sentences from the Web for half-century

British Dictionary definitions for half-century (1 of 2)

noun plural -ies

British Dictionary definitions for half-century (2 of 2)

noun plural -ries

Word Origin for century

Idioms and Phrases with half-century

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

century

noun, plural cen·tu·ries.

Origin of century

OTHER WORDS FROM century

Words nearby century

Example sentences from the Web for half-century

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for half-century (1 of 2)

noun plural -ies

British Dictionary definitions for half-century (2 of 2)

noun plural -ries

Word Origin for century

Idioms and Phrases with half-century

British Dictionary definitions for half-century (1 of 2)