century
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
1word story For century
The sense “period of 100 years” first appeared in the late 16th century, in early use sometimes in the phrase century of years. The slang sense “100 dollars, 100 pounds” appeared all but simultaneously in the United States (1859) and the United Kingdom (1860). The American slang term century note dates to 1905, and its abbreviated form C-note dates to 1929. The bicycling sense “race of 100 miles or kilometers” dates to the 1880s.
Other words from century
- half-cen·tu·ry, noun, plural half·-cen·tu·ries.
Words Nearby century
Other definitions for -century (2 of 2)
a combining form of century, affixed to the number that specifies the 100-year span cited, and used only as an adjective: 19th-century American literature;a collection of 6th-century metal sculptures that was stolen in the late 20th century.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use century in a sentence
Today’s two major parties have framed political competition since the middle of the 19th century — since the Republicans rose from the rubble of the Whigs.
Will Senate Republicans allow their louts to rule the party? | George Will | February 12, 2021 | Washington PostMaybe in another century I would have been a witch and burned at the stake.
Maria Guarnaschelli, influential cookbook editor, dies at 79 | Emily Langer | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostLater in the century mathematicians proved two other key facts that tied together scissors congruence and tiling.
Undergraduates Hunt for Special Tetrahedra That Fit Together | Kevin Hartnett | February 9, 2021 | Quanta MagazineMore than 125 countries, representing more than two-thirds of global emissions, have either adopted or are discussing a goal of reaching net zero emissions by the middle of the century, Höhne said.
Countries must ramp up climate pledges by 80 percent to hit key Paris target, study finds | Brady Dennis | February 9, 2021 | Washington PostIn China, as early as the 15th century, healthy people deliberately breathed smallpox scabs through their noses and contracted a milder version of the disease.
Smallpox used to kill millions of people every year. Here’s how humans beat it. | Kelsey Piper | February 5, 2021 | Vox
For more than a century, Americans have been fretting about these sorts of ghosts.
In the 21st century women are earning their equality every step of the way… including the bedroom.
Career-Minded Women Turn to Male Escorts For No-Strings Fun and (Maybe) Sex | Aurora Snow | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTFinally free of Japanese interference, Korea elected its first autonomous government in almost half a century.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea | Rich Goldstein | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWarm milk mixed with a spoonful of fireplace ashes seemed to also be popular among 19th century England.
The goal is to create a literary anatomy of the last century—or, to be precise, from 1900 to 2014.
El Imparcial maintained that he was worthy of being honoured as a 19th century conquering hero.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanIt is a lofty and richly-decorated pile of the fourteenth century; and tells of the labours and the wealth of a foreign land.
We live in an age that is at best about a century and a half old—the age of machinery and power.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockJohn of Damascus, an important Greek theologian of the eighth century, often cited by Thomas.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II) | Henry Osborn TaylorDuring the last century these were recast, and addition made to the peal, which now consists of twelve.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
British Dictionary definitions for century
/ (ˈsɛntʃərɪ) /
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 100: to 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
Origin of century
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with century
see turn of the century.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse