century

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: cen=tu=ry

CIDE DICTIONARY

century, n. [L. centuria (in senses 1 & 3), fr. centum a hundred: cf. F. centurie. See Cent.].

•  A hundred; as, a century of sonnets; an aggregate of a hundred things.  [1913 Webster]

  "And on it said a century of prayers."  [1913 Webster]
•  A period of a hundred years; as, this event took place over two centuries ago.  [1913 Webster]

  " Century, in the reckoning of time, although often used in a general way of any series of hundred consecutive years (as, a century of temperance work), usually signifies a division of the Christian era, consisting of a period of one hundred years ending with the hundredth year from which it is named; as, the first century (a. d. 1-100 inclusive); the seventh century (a.d. 601-700); the eighteenth century (a.d. 1701-1800). With words or phrases connecting it with some other system of chronology it is used of similar division of those eras; as, the first century of Rome (A.U.C. 1-100)."  [1913 Webster]
•  A division of the Roman people formed according to their property, for the purpose of voting for civil officers.  [1913 Webster]

Century plant (Bot.), the Agave Americana, formerly supposed to flower but once in a century; -- hence the name. See Agave. -- The Magdeburg Centuries, an ecclesiastical history of the first thirteen centuries, arranged in thirteen volumes, compiled in the 16th century by Protestant scholars at Magdeburg.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

century, n. (pl. -ies)
1 a a period of one hundred years. b any of the centuries reckoned from the birth of Christ (twentieth century = 1901-2000; fifth century BC = 500-401 BC).

Idiom

century plant a plant, Agave americana, flowering once in many years and yielding sap from which tequila is distilled: also called American aloe (see ALOE).

Usage

In modern use often reckoned as (e.g.) 1900-1999.
2 a a score etc. of a hundred in a sporting event, esp. a hundred runs by one batsman in cricket. b a group of a hundred things.
3 a a company in the ancient Roman army, orig. of 100 men. b an ancient Roman political division for voting.

Etymology

L centuria f. centum hundred

THESAURUS

century

C, C-note, G, G-note, abundant year, academic year, aeon, age, ages, annum, bicentenary, bicentennial, bissextile year, buck, calendar month, calendar year, cartwheel, cent, cental, centare, centenarian, centenary, centennial, centennium, centigram, centimeter, centipede, centistere, centred, centref, centrev, centumvir, centumvirate, centurion, common year, copper, cwt, day, decade, decennary, decennium, defective year, dime, dollar, dollar bill, eternity, fifty cents, fin, fiscal year, fish, five cents, five hundred dollars, five-dollar bill, five-hundred-dollar bill, five-spot, fiver, fortnight, four bits, frogskin, grand, gross, half G, half a C, half dollar, half grand, hecatomb, hour, hundred, hundred-dollar bill, hundredweight, iron man, leap year, long, long hundred, long time, long while, lunar month, lunar year, lunation, luster, lustrum, man-hour, microsecond, mill, millennium, millisecond, minute, moment, month, month of Sundays, moon, nickel, one C, penny, quarter, quinquennium, red cent, regular year, right smart spell, sawbuck, second, semester, sesquicentenary, sesquicentennial, session, sidereal year, silver dollar, skin, smacker, solar year, sun, ten cents, ten-spot, tenner, tercentenary, tercentennial, term, thousand dollars, thousand-dollar bill, trimester, twelvemonth, twenty-dollar bill, twenty-five cents, two bits, two-dollar bill, two-spot, week, weekday, yard, year, years, years on end

ROGET THESAURUS

century

Five

N five, five, cinque, quint, quincux, six, half-a- dozen, half dozen, seven, eight, nine, three times three, dicker, ten, decade, eleven, twelve, dozen, thirteen, long dozen, baker's dozen, quintuplet, twenty, score, twenty-four, four and twenty, two dozen, twenty-five, five and twenty, quarter of a hundred, forty, two score, fifty, half a hundred, sixty, three score, seventy, three score and ten, eighty, four score, ninety, fourscore and ten, sestiad, hundred, centenary, hecatomb, century, hundredweight, cwt, one hundred and forty-four, gross, thousand, chiliad, millennium, thousand years, grand, myriad, ten thousand, ban, man, ten thousand years, banzai, lac, one hundred thousand, plum, million, thousand million, milliard, billion, trillion, five, quinary, quintuple, fifth, senary, sextuple, sixth, seventh, septuple, octuple, eighth, ninefold, ninth, tenfold, decimal, denary, decuple, tenth, eleventh, duodenary, duodenal, twelfth, in one's 'teens, thirteenth, vicesimal, vigesimal, twentieth, twenty-fourth, vicenary, vicennial, centuple, centuplicate, centennial, centenary, centurial, secular, hundredth, thousandth.

Period

N period, age, era, second, minute, hour, day, week, month, quarter, year, decade, decenniumm lustrum, quinquennium, lifetime, generation, epoch, ghurry, lunation, moon, century, millennium, annus magnus, horary, hourly, annual.