Etymology dictionary

cavernous (adj.) — centerfold (n.)

cavernous (adj.)

c. 1400, "full of caverns," from Latin cavernosus "full of cavities" (source also of Italian cavernoso, French caverneux), from caverna (see cavern). In English, the meaning "full of cavities, porous" is from 1590s. The meaning "deeply hollowed out" is recorded from 1830.

caviar (n.)

also caviare, "roe of certain large fish, salted and served as food," 1550s, from French caviar (16c.), from Italian caviaro (modern caviale) or Turkish khaviar, from Persian khaviyar, from khaya "egg," from Middle Persian khayak "egg," from Old Iranian *qvyaka-, diminutive of *avya- (from PIE *ōwyo‑, *ōyyo‑ "egg," which is perhaps a derivative of the root *awi- "bird"). The second element is Persian dar "bearing." The Russian name is ikra.

cavil (v.)

"to raise frivolous objections, find fault without good reason," 1540s, from French caviller "to mock, jest," from Latin cavillari "to jeer, mock; satirize, argue scoffingly" (also source of Italian cavillare, Spanish cavilar), from cavilla "jest, jeering," which is related to calumnia "slander, false accusation" (see calumny). Related: Caviller, cavilling.

cavitate (v.)

"to form cavities or bubbles (in a fluid)," 1892 (implied in cavitated), back-formation from cavitation or else formed from cavity + -ate (2) . Related: Cavitating.

cavitation (n.)

"formation of bubbles in fluid," 1895, from cavity + -ation. Earlier as a medical term, "formation of cavities in the body" (1868).

cavity (n.)

"a hollow place, empty space in the body," 1540s, from French cavité (13c.), from Late Latin cavitatem (nominative cavitas) "hollowness," from Latin cavus "hollow" (from PIE root *keue- "to swell," also "vault, hole").

cavort (v.)

1793, cauvaut, "to prance, bustle nimbly or eagerly," American English, of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be an alteration of curvet "a leap by a horse," a word from French that is related to curve (v.). Or perhaps from ca-, ka-, colloquial intensive prefix + vault (v.) "to jump, leap." Modern form attested by 1829. Related: Cavorted; cavorting.

caw (v.)

"make a sound like a crow, raven, etc.," 1580s, imitative. "Similar imitative forms occur in many and diverse languages, to express the cry or as a name for the crow and other corvine birds" [Century Dictionary]. Related: Cawed; cawing.

caw (n.)

"the cry of a crow or raven; a sound like such a cry," 1660s, from caw (v.).

Caxton (n.)

1811, "a book printed by William Caxton (obit c. 1491), English merchant in the Netherlands who learned there the art of printing and introduced it to England. The surname is from the place in Cambridgeshire, literally "Kak's estate," from the Old Norse personal name Kakkr.

cayenne (n.)

"type of pungent dried pepper," 1756, from Tupi (Brazil) kyynha "capsicum," a word mistakenly associated with the town of Cayenne in French Guyana. The town name is the French form of Guyana.

cayuse (n.)

"horse, Indian pony of the northern Rockies," 1841, American English, said to be a Chinook (native Pacific Northwest) word; also the name of an Indian group and language (1825); of unknown origin.

CB

1959, abbreviation of citizens' band (radio).

cc

also c.c., 1936 as abbreviation of carbon-copy in business correspondence.

c.c. (v.)

see carbon-copy.

CD

1979 as an abbreviation of compact disc as a digital system of information storage. By 1959 as an abbreviation of certificate of deposit "written statement from a bank acknowledging it has received a sum of money from the person named" (1819).

CDC

abbreviation of Centers for Disease Control, renamed 1970 from earlier U.S. federal health lab, originally Communicable Diseases Center (1946). Since 1992, full name is Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the usual initialism (acronym) remains CDC.

CD-ROM

1983, in computer jargon; also cd-rom; from compact disc read-only memory.

C.E.

abbreviation of Common Era or Christian Era, a secular or non-Christian alternative to A.D., attested from 1838 in works on Jewish history. Companion B.C.E. is attested from 1881.

cease (v.)

c. 1300, cesen, "stop moving, acting, or speaking; come to an end," from Old French cesser "come to an end, stop, cease; give up, desist," from Latin cessare "cease, go slow, give over, leave off, be idle," frequentative of cedere (past participle cessus) "go away, withdraw, yield" (from PIE root *ked- "to go, yield"). The transitive sense "put a stop to," now rare, is from late 14c. Related: Ceased; ceasing. Old English in this sense had geswican, blinnan.

cease (n.)

"cessation, stopping" (archaic), c. 1300, from cease (n.) or else from Old French cesse "cease, cessation," from cesser.

cease-fire (n.)

also ceasefire, "a cessation of shooting," 1916, from the verbal phrase cease fire, attested from 1847 as a military command (formerly also signaled by bugles), from cease (v.) + fire (n.) in the gunnery sense. Generally written as two words until after mid-20c.

ceaseless (adj.)

"without a stop or pause; unending, endless, enduring forever," 1580s, from cease (n.) + -less. Related: Ceaselessly; ceaselessness.

Cecil

masc. proper name, from Latin Caecilius (fem. Caecilia), name of a Roman gens, from caecus "blind" (see caecum).

Cecilia

fem. proper name, fem. of Cecil (q.v.).

cecum (n.)

variant of caecum.

cedar (n.)

type of coniferous tree noted for its slow growth and hard timber, late Old English ceder, blended in Middle English with Old French cedre, both from Latin cedrus, from Greek kedros "cedar, juniper," a word of uncertain origin.

True cedars are those native to Lebanon and the Levant, western North Africa, and the Himalayas, but the name has been applied to many more or less similar trees in North America and the tropics. Cedar oil was used by the Egyptians in embalming as a preservative against decay and the word for it was used figuratively for "immortality" by the Romans. Cedar chest, one made of cedar wood to protect contents from moths and other insects, is attested from 1722. Related: Cedrine.

cede (v.)

1630s, "to yield, give way," from French céder or directly from Latin cedere "to yield, give place; to give up some right or property," originally "to go from, proceed, leave" (from Proto-Italic *kesd-o- "to go away, avoid," from PIE root *ked- "to go, yield").

The original sense in English is now archaic; the transitive meaning "yield or formally surrender (something) to another" is from 1754. The sense evolution in Latin is via the notion of "go away, withdraw, give ground." Related: Ceded; ceding.

Latin cedere, with prefixes attached, is the source of a great many English words: accede, concede, exceed, precede, proceed, recede, secede, etc.

cedilla (n.)

"mark placed under the letter -c- in certain situations," 1590s, from Spanish cedilla, zedilla, literally "little z," from a Latin-like diminutive of Greek zēta "the letter 'z'" (see zed). The mark, mainly used in French and Portuguese (formerly also used in Spanish), was derived from that letter and indicates a "soft" sound in letters in positions where normally they have a "hard" sound. Sometimes the word is used as though it means the entire character ç.

Cedric

masc. proper name, modern, apparently introduced by Sir Walter Scott (Cedric the Saxon is a character in "Ivanhoe"), and apparently a mistake for or alteration of the Anglo-Saxon name Cerdic.

cee (n.)

"name of the letter C," 1540s.

ceiling (n.)

mid-14c., celynge, "act of paneling a room," noun formed (with -ing) from Middle English verb ceil "put a cover or ceiling over," later "cover (walls) with wainscoting, panels, etc." (early 15c.); from Old French celer "conceal," also "cover with paneling" (12c.), from Latin celare "to hide" (from PIE root *kel- (1) "to cover, conceal, save"). Probably influenced by Latin caelum "heaven, sky" (see celestial).

Extended to the paneling itself from late 14c., then to lath-and-plaster work. The meaning "interior overhead surface of a room" is attested by 1530s; by late 19c. the meaning "wainscoting" was only in provincial English. Figurative sense of "upper limit" is from 1934.

Colloquial figurative phrase hit the ceiling "lose one's temper, get explosively angry" is attested by 1908; earlier it meant "to fail" (by 1900, originally U.S. college slang). Glass ceiling in the figurative sense of "invisible barrier that prevents women from advancing" in management, etc., is attested from 1988.

ceilidh (n.)

"convivial evening social visit," typically with traditional music, 1868, from Irish céilidhe, from Old Irish céle "companion," from PIE *kei-liyo-, suffixed form of root *kei- (1) "beloved, dear," primarily "to lie; bed, couch."

cel (n.)

"celluloid sheet for an animated cartoon," from celluloid; the clip became current by c. 1990 when they became collectible.

celadon (n.)

"pale grayish-green color," 1768, from French Céladon, name of a character in the once-popular romance of "l'Astrée" by Honoré d'Urfé (1610); an insipidly sentimental lover who wore bright green clothes, he is named in turn after Celadon (Greek Keladon), a character in Ovid's "Metamorphoses," whose name is said to mean "sounding with din or clamor." The mineral celadonite (1868) is so called for its color.

-cele

word-forming element meaning "tumor," from Latinized form of Greek kēlē "tumor, rupture, hernia," from PIE *kehul- "tumor" (source also of Old Norse haull, Old English heala "groin rupture," Old Church Slavonic kyla, Lithuanian kūlas "rupture").

Celebes

old name for modern Sulawesi (which itself might be a native corruption of Celebes) in Indonesia, first used by Portuguese, 1512, perhaps from Os Célebres "the famous ones," a name given by navigators to the dangerous capes on the island's northeast coast.

celeb (n.)

colloquial shortening of celebrity "celebrated person," by 1908, American English.

celebrate (v.)

mid-15c., "to perform publicly with appropriate rites," originally of the Mass, from Latin celebratus "much-frequented; kept solemn; famous," past participle of celebrare "assemble to honor," also "to publish; sing praises of; practice often," originally "to frequent in great numbers," from celeber "frequented, populous, crowded;" with transferred senses of "well-attended; famous; often-repeated." Its etymology is unknown.

General sense of "commemorate or honor with demonstrations of joy" is from 1550s; formerly it also could be with demonstrations of sorrow or regret. Meaning "make widely known, praise, glorify" is from 1610s. Related: Celebrated; celebrating.

celebrated (adj.)

"much-talked-about, having celebrity, famous," 1660s, past-participle adjective from celebrate (v.).

celebration (n.)

1520s, "honoring of a day or season by appropriate festivities," formed in English from celebrate, or else from Latin celebrationem (nominative celebratio) "numerous attendance" (especially upon a festival celebration), noun of action from past-participle stem of celebrare. The meaning "performance of a religious ceremony" (especially the Eucharist) is from 1570s; that of "extolling in speeches, etc." is from 1670s.

celebrity (n.)

late 14c., "solemn rite or ceremony," from Old French celebrité "celebration" or directly from Latin celibritatem (nominative celebritas) "multitude, fame," from celeber "frequented, populous" (see celebrate). The meaning "condition of being famous" is from c. 1600; that of "a famous person" is from 1849.

celebrant (n.)

"one who celebrates" in any sense, 1731, from French célébrant "officiating clergyman" (in celebrating the eucharist) or directly from Latin celebrantem (nominative celebrans), present participle of celebrare "assemble together; sing the praises of; practice often" (see celebrate).

celebratory (adj.)

"of or pertaining to celebration," 1855, from celebrate + -ory.

celerity (n.)

"swiftness, rapidity of motion," late 15c., from Old French celeritee (14c., Modern French célérité), from Latin celeritatem (nominative celeritas) "swiftness," from celer "swift," from PIE *keli- "speeding" (source also of Sanskrit carati "goes," Greek keles "fast horse or ship," Lithuanian šuoliai "a gallop," Old High German scelo "stallion").

celery (n.)

umbelliferous European plant long cultivated as food, 1660s, sellery, from French céleri (17c., originally sceleri d'Italie), said by French sources to be from Italian (Lombard dialect) seleri (singular selero), from Late Latin selinon, from Greek selinon "parsley" (in Medieval Greek "celery"), a word of uncertain origin. The c- spelling, attested by 1719 in English, is from French. Middle English words for "wild celery" were ache and selinum.

Celeste

fem. proper name, from French céleste (11c.) "sky, heaven," from Latin caelestis "heavenly" (see celestial).

celestial (adj.)

late 14c., "pertaining to the sky or the visible heavens; pertaining to the Christian or pagan heaven," from Old French celestial "celestial, heavenly, sky-blue," from Latin caelestis "heavenly, pertaining to the sky," from caelum "heaven, sky; abode of the gods; climate," which is of uncertain origin; perhaps from PIE *kaid-slo-, perhaps from a root also found in Germanic and Baltic meaning "bright, clear" (compare Lithuanian skaidrus "shining, clear;" Old English hador, German heiter "clear, shining, cloudless," Old Norse heið "clear sky").

The Latin word is the source of the usual word for "sky" in most of the Romance languages, such as French ciel, Spanish cielo, Italian cielo, Portuguese céu. Transferred sense of "heavenly, very delightful" in English is from early 15c. Celestial Empire "China" is from 1808, translating native names.

Celia

fem. proper name, from Italian Celia, from Latin Caelia, fem. of Caelius, name of a Roman gens. Sheila is a variant.

celiac (adj.)

alternative spelling of coeliac (q.v.); also see oe.

celibate (n.)

1610s, "state of celibacy" (especially as mandated to clergy in the Catholic church) from French célibat (16c.), from Latin caelibatus "state of being unmarried" (see celibacy). This was the only sense until early 19c.; the meaning "one who is sworn to celibacy" is from 1838. Other nouns in this sense were celibatarian, celibatist, celibian.

celibate (adj.)

"unmarried, sworn to remain single," 1825, probably from celibate (n.) or from celibacy on the model of privacy/private, etc.

celibacy (n.)

1660s, "state of being unmarried, voluntary abstention from marriage," formed in English from abstract noun suffix -cy + Latin caelibatus "state of being unmarried," from caelebs "unmarried," a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps it is from PIE *kaiwelo- "alone" + lib(h)s- "living." De Vaan suggests as an alternative PIE *kehi-lo- "whole," which would relate it to health (q.v.): "[I]f this developed to 'unboundness, celibacy', it may explain the meaning 'unmarried' of caelebs-."

Originally and through the 19c. celibacy was opposed to marriage, and celibacy, except as a religious vow, often was frowned upon as leading to (or being an excuse for) sexual indulgence and debauchery among bachelors. By 1950s it was being used sometimes in a sense of "voluntary abstinence from sexuality," without reference to marriage.

celled (adj.)

in compounds, "having cells" (of a certain number or type), from late 18c., from cell (n.).

cell (n.)

early 12c., "small monastery, subordinate monastery" (from Medieval Latin in this sense), later "small room for a monk or a nun in a monastic establishment; a hermit's dwelling" (c. 1300), from Latin cella "small room, store room, hut," related to Latin celare "to hide, conceal" (from PIE root *kel- (1) "to cover, conceal, save").

From "monastic room" the sense was extended to "prison room" (1722). The word was used in 14c., figuratively, of brain "compartments" as the abode of some faculty; it was used in biology by 17c. of various cavities (wood structure, segments of fruit, bee combs), gradually focusing to the modern sense of "basic structure of all living organisms" (which OED dates to 1845).

Electric battery sense is from 1828, based on the "compartments" in very early types. The meaning "small group of people working within a larger organization" is from 1925. Cell-body is from 1851, cell-division from 1846, cell-membrane from 1837 (cellular membrane is by 1732), cell wall is attested from 1842.

cellar (n.)

early 13c., "store room," from Anglo-French celer, Old French celier "cellar, underground passage" (12c., Modern French cellier), from Latin cellarium "pantry, storeroom," literally "group of cells;" which is either directly from cella "small room, store-room" (from PIE root *kel- (1) "to cover, conceal, save"), or from noun use of neuter of adjective cellarius "pertaining to a storeroom," from cella. The sense "room under a house or other building, mostly underground and used for storage" gradually emerged in late Middle and early Modern English. Related: Cellarer. Cellar-door attested by 1640s.

cellist (n.)

1880, short for violoncellist on model of cello.

cello (n.)

1857, shortening of violoncello (q.v.).

cellophane (n.)

1912, trademark name for a flexible, transparent product made from regenerated cellulose, coined by the inventor, Swiss chemist Jacques E. Brandenberger (1872-1954), probably from cellulose + connective o + -phane.

cellphone (n.)

also cell phone, 1984, short for cellular phone.

cellulitis (n.)

"inflammation of the cellular tissue," 1832, from Latin cellula, diminutive of cella "cell" (see cell) + -itis "inflammation."

cellular (adj.)

1753, "consisting of or resembling cells," with reference to tissue, from Modern Latin cellularis "of little cells," from cellula "little cell," diminutive of cella "small room" (see cell). Of mobile phone systems (in which the area served is divided into "cells" of a few square miles served by transmitters), 1977. Related: Cellularity.

cellulite (n.)

"lumpy, dimpled fat," 1968, from French cellulite, from cellule "a small cell" (16c., from Latin cellula "little cell," diminutive of cella; see cell) + -ite (see -ite (1)). The word appeared mainly in fashion magazines and advertisements for beauty treatments.

celluloid (n.)

transparent plastic made from nitro-celluloses and camphor, 1871, trademark name (reg. U.S.), a hybrid coined by U.S. inventor John Wesley Hyatt (1837-1900) from cellulose + Greek-based suffix -oid.

Its use as a photographic film was noted by 1889. As an adjective, "of or pertaining to motion pictures," by 1922; as a noun, figuratively, "motion pictures" from 1934. Abbreviated form cell "sheet of celluloid" is from 1933 (see cel).

cellulose (n.)

1840, from French cellulose, coined c. 1835 by French chemist Anselme Payen (1795-1871) and confirmed 1839, from noun use of adjective cellulose "consisting of cells" (18c.), from Latin cellula "little cell," diminutive of cella (see cell) + -ose (2). Related: Cellulosic.

Celsius

1797 in reference to the type of thermometer; 1812 in reference to the scale of temperatures, from the name of Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701-1744) inventor of the centigrade scale in 1742. His family name is a Latinized translation of Högen, the name of the family estate in Sweden, taken as "mound," from Latin celsus "raised, high, lofty, great" (from PIE root *kel- (2) "to be prominent; hill").

celt (n.)

"stone chisel," 1715, according to OED from a Latin ghost word (apparently a mistake of certe) in Job xix.24 in Vulgate: "stylo ferreo, et plumbi lamina, vel celte sculpantur in silice;" translated, probably correctly, in KJV as, "That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever." But assumed by others to be a genuine carving tool, partly because it was in the Bible, and thereafter adapted by archaeologists as a name for a class of prehistoric implements.

Celt-Iberian (adj.)

also Celtiberian, "pertaining to the ancient province, people, or culture of northwestern Spain," c. 1600, from Latin Celtiberi; see Celt + Iberia.

Celtic (adj.)

also Keltic, 1650s, in archaeology and history, "pertaining to the (ancient) Celts," from French Celtique or Latin Celticus "pertaining to the Celts" (see Celt). In reference to the language group including Irish, Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, etc., from 1707. Of modern peoples or their other qualities, by mid-19c. The Boston basketball team was founded 1946. Celtic twilight is from Yeats's name for his collection of adapted Irish folk tales (1893).

cement (n.)

kind of mortar or other substance that hardens as it dries, used to bind, c. 1300, from Old French ciment "cement, mortar, pitch," from Latin cæmenta "stone chips used for making mortar" (singular caementum), from caedere "to cut down, chop, beat, hew, fell, slay" (from PIE root *kae-id- "to strike"). The sense evolution from "small broken stones" to "powdered stones used in construction" took place before the word reached English. Cement-mixer is from 1875.

cementation (n.)

"process of producing cohesion," 1590s, from cement (v.) + noun ending -ation.

cement (v.)

c. 1400, "to bind (solid bodies) together with or as with cement," from cement (n.) or Old French cimenter. The figurative sense "to unite firmly" is from c. 1600. Related: Cemented; cementing.

cemetery (n.)

"burial ground, place set aside for burial of the dead," late 14c., cimiterie, from Old French cimetiere "graveyard" (12c.), from Medieval Latin cemeterium, Late Latin coemeterium, from Greek koimeterion "sleeping place, dormitory," from koiman "to put to sleep," keimai "I lie down," from PIE root *kei- (1) "to lie," also forming words for "bed, couch."

Early Christian writers were the first to use it for "burial ground," though the Greek word also had been anciently used in reference to the sleep of death. In Middle English simeterie, cymytory, cimitere, etc.; forms with cem- are attested from late 15c. An Old English word for "cemetery" was licburg (see lich (n.)). In 19c. typically a large public burial ground not attached to a church.

cenacle (n.)

"dining room," usually with reference to the room in which the Last Supper was held, c. 1400, from Old French cenacle, learned variant of cenaille (14c., Modern French cénacle), from Latin cenaculum "dining room," from cena "mid-day meal, afternoon meal," literally "portion of food" (from PIE *kert-sna-, from root *sker- (1) "to cut"). Latin cenaculum was used in the Vulgate for the "upper room" where the Last Supper was eaten. Related: Cenatical; cenation.

-cene

word-forming element in geology to indicate more recent periods, introduced by Sir Charles Lyell (1797-1875), from Latinized form of Greek kainos "new," cognate with Latin recens (see recent). Also see Cenozoic.

cenobite (n.)

also coenobite, "member of a communal religious order," 1630s, from Church Latin coenobita "a cloister brother," from coenobium "a convent," from Greek koinobion "life in community, monastery," from koinos "common" (see coeno-) + bios "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live"). Related: Cenobitic; cenobitical.

cenogamy (n.)

also coenogamy, "state of having husbands or wives in common," 1883, from Latinized form of Greek koinos "common" (see coeno-) + -gamy. Related: Cenogamous; coenogamous.

cenotaph (n.)

"empty tomb erected in honor of a dead person who is buried elsewhere or whose body is lost," c. 1600, from French cénotaphe (16c.), from Latin cenotaphium, from Greek kenotaphion, from kenos "empty" (see keno-) + taphos "tomb, burial, funeral," related to taphē "interment," thaptō "to bury," which is of uncertain origin. It is traditionally derived (along with Armenian damban "tomb") from a PIE root *dhembh- "to dig, bury," but there are doubts, and Beekes writes, "Armenian and Greek could well be borrowings; IE origin is uncertain." Related: Cenotaphic.

Cenozoic (adj.)

"the third great geological period," 1841, Cainozoic, from Latinized form of Greek kainos "new, fresh, recent, novel" (see recent) + zōon "animal," but here with a sense of "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live"). The era that began with the demise of the dinosaurs and the rise of "recent" species and continues to the present; it also is known as the Tertiary. Compare Paleozoic, Mesozoic.

cense (v.)

"to perfume with burning incense," late 14c., a shortened form of incense (v.2). Related: Censed; censing.

censer (n.)

"vessel used for burning incense before an altar," mid-13c., from Old French censier, a shortened form of encensier, from encens "incense" (see incense (n.)).

censor (n.)

1530s, "Roman magistrate of 5c. B.C.E. who took censuses and oversaw public manners and morals," from French censor and directly from Latin censor, from censere "to appraise, value, judge," from PIE root *kens- "speak solemnly, proclaim" (source also of Sanskrit amsati "recites, praises," asa "song of praise").

They also had charge of public finances and public works. The transferred sense of "officious judge of morals and conduct" in English is from 1590s. Latin censor had also a transferred sense of "a severe judge; a rigid moralist; a censurer."

From 1640s as "official empowered to examine books, plays (later films, etc.) to see they are free of anything immoral or heretical." By the early decades of the 19c. the meaning of the English word had concentrated into "state agent charged with suppression of speech or published matter deemed politically subversive." Related: Censorial; censorian.

censor (v.)

1833, "to act as a censor (of news or public media);" from censor (n.). Related: Censored; censoring.

censorable (adj.)

"deserving of or subject to censoring," 1906, from censor (v.) + -able.

censorious (adj.)

"fond of criticizing," 1530s, from Latin censorius "pertaining to a censor," also "rigid, severe," from censor (see censor (n.)). Related: Censoriously; censoriousness.

censorship (n.)

1590s, "office of a censor," from censor (n.) + -ship. Meaning "action of censoring" is from 1824.

census (n.)

1610s, in reference to registration and taxation in Roman history, from Latin census "the enrollment of the names and property assessments of all Roman citizens," originally past participle of censere "to assess" (see censor (n.)). The modern use of census as "official enumeration of the inhabitants of a country or state, with details" begins in the U.S. (1790), and Revolutionary France (1791). Property for taxation was the primary purpose in Rome, hence Latin census also was used for "one's wealth, one's worth, wealthiness." Related: Censual.

censure (n.)

late 14c., "judicial sentence," originally ecclesiastical, from Latin censura "judgment, opinion," also "office of a censor," from census, past participle of censere "appraise, estimate, assess" (see censor (n.)). The general sense of "a finding of fault and an expression of condemnation" is from c. 1600.

censurable (adj.)

"deserving censure," 1630s, from censure (v.) + -able. Related: Censurability.

censure (v.)

1580s, "to judge, adjudge" (now obsolete); 1590s, "criticize adversely, find fault with and condemn," from censure (n.) or else from French censurer, from censure (n.). Related: Censured; censuring.

cent (n.)

late 14c., "one hundred," from Latin centum "hundred" (see hundred). The meaning shifted 17c. to "hundredth part" under influence of percent. It was chosen in this sense April 18, 1786, in a Board of Treasury report, as a name for a U.S. currency unit (the hundredth part of a dollar) by the Continental Congress. Dime also first appears as a U.S. coin name in the same document.

The word cent first had been suggested by Robert Morris in 1782 under his original plan for a U.S. currency. Morris's system had an unnamed basic unit at a very small value, and 100 of these was to equal a cent. But the ratio of this cent to the dollar would have been about 144:1.

Thomas Jefferson's counterproposal, which won approval, built on Morris's but eliminated the basic unit and made the decimal system uniform throughout.

Before the cent, Revolutionary and colonial dollars were reckoned in ninetieths, based on the exchange rate of Pennsylvania money and Spanish coin.

centaur (n.)

monster in Greek mythology, with the head, torso, and arms of a man joined to the body of a horse, late 14c., from Latin centaurus, from Greek Kentauros, a word of disputed origin. In early Greek literature they were a savage, horse-riding tribe from Thessaly; later they were monsters half horse, half man. The southern constellation of Centaurus is attested in English from 1550s but was known by that name to the Romans and known as a centaur to the Greeks. It has often been confused since classical times with Sagittarius. Related: Centauress; centaurian.

centaury (n.)

popular name of various plants, late 14c., from Medieval Latin centaurea, from Latin centaureum, from Greek kentaureion, from kentauros "centaur" (see centaur), so called according to Pliny because the plant's medicinal properties were discovered by Chiron the centaur.

German Tausendgüldenkraut is based on a mistranslation of the Latin word, as if from centum + aurum (the similarity might be the result of Roman folk etymology).

centavo (n.)

small coin of Spain, Portugal, and some Latin American countries, 1883, from Spanish, from Latin centum "hundred" (see hundred) + -avo, added to a cardinal number to indicate "one of that many equal parts into which a whole is regarded as divided."

centenary (adj.)

1640s, "relation to or consisting of 100 years," from Latin centenarius "of a hundred, relating to a hundred," from centenai "a hundred each," from centum "hundred" (see hundred).

As a noun, c. 1600 as "period of 100 years;" 1788 as "a hundredth anniversary, commemoration or celebration of a hundredth anniversary." The usual British word in this sense for the American centennial.

centenarian (n.)

1805, "person 100 years old or older," from centenary + -ian. As an adjective, "pertaining to a person 100 years old," it is recorded from 1806.

centennial (adj.)

"consisting of or lasting 100 years, happening every 100 years," 1789, from Latin centum "one hundred" (see hundred) + ending from biennial. As a noun, "a hundredth anniversary celebration," from 1876; the older noun is centenary.

center (n.)

late 14c., "middle point of a circle; point round which something revolves," from Old French centre (14c.), from Latin centrum "center," originally the fixed point of the two points of a drafting compass (hence "the center of a circle"), from Greek kentron "sharp point, goad, sting of a wasp," from kentein "stitch," from PIE root *kent- "to prick" (source also of Breton kentr "a spur," Welsh cethr "nail," Old High German hantag "sharp, pointed").

The spelling with -re was popularized in Britain by Johnson's dictionary (following Bailey's), though -er is older and was used by Shakespeare, Milton, and Pope. The meaning "the middle of anything" attested from 1590s. Figuratively, "point of concentration" (of power, etc.), from 1680s. The political use, originally in reference to France, "representatives of moderate views" (between left and right) is from 1837. Center of gravity is recorded from 1650s. Center of attention is from 1868.

center (v.)

1590s, "to concentrate at a center," from center (n.). The meaning "to rest as at a center" is from 1620s. The sports sense of "to hit toward the center" is from 1890. Related: Centered; centering. To be centered on is from 1713. In combinations, -centered is attested by 1958.

center-field (n.)

also centerfield, 1857 in baseball, "the middle third of the outfield," from center (n.) + field (n.). Related: Center-fielder.

centerfold (n.)

also center-fold, "fold-out center spread of a magazine or newspaper," 1950, from center (n.) + fold (n.2). "Playboy" debuted December 1953, and the word came to be used especially for illustrations of comely women, hence "woman who poses as a centerfold model" (by 1965).