century

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A period of one hundred consecutive years; often specifically a numbered period with conventional start and end dates, e.g., the twentieth century, which stretches from (strictly) 1901 through 2000, or (informally) 1900 through 1999. The first century AD was from 1 to 100.

   Holonyms: kiloannum, kiloyear, millennium < terasecond < mega-annum, megayear < petasecond < giga-annum, gigayear < exasecond < zettasecond < yottasecond < ronnasecond < quettasecond

2. 2
   noun

   A unit in ancient Roman army, originally of one hundred army soldiers as part of a cohort, later of more varied sizes (but typically containing sixty to seventy or eighty) soldiers or other men (guards, police, firemen), commanded by a centurion.

   Holonyms: maniple, cohort, legion

3. 3
   noun

   A hundred things of the same kind; a hundred.

   'tis the subject of whole books: I might cite a century of authors pro and con.

4. 4
   noun

   A hundred runs scored either by a single player in one innings, or by two players in a partnership.

   He has scored 44 limited-overs centuries.

5. 5
   noun

   A score of one hundred points.

   That was his tenth professional century.

6. 6
   noun

   ten 10s

7. 7
   noun

   a period of 100 years

8. 8
   noun

   A political division of ancient Rome, meeting in the Centuriate Assembly.

Etymology

From Middle English centurie (“a count of one hundred (of anything); a division of the Roman army; century; a division of land”), from Old French centurie, from Latin centuria, from centum (“one hundred”). The most common modern use is a shortening of century of years.