cen|ten|nial /sente niəl/ N‑SING [oft N n] A centennial is the same as a centenary . [mainly AM , also BRIT , FORMAL ] □ Now his centennial Tate Modern show offers an overview of his career.
cen|ter /se ntə r / → see centre
cen|ti|grade /se nt I gre I d/ ADJ Centigrade is a scale for measuring temperature, in which water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees. It is represented by the symbol °C. □ …daytime temperatures of up to forty degrees centigrade. ● N‑UNCOUNT Centigrade is also a noun. □ The number at the bottom is the recommended water temperature in Centigrade.
cen|ti|li|tre /se nt I liːtə r / (centilitres ) in AM, use centiliter N‑COUNT A centilitre is a unit of volume in the metric system equal to ten millilitres or one-hundredth of a litre.
cen|ti|me|tre /se nt I miːtə r / (centimetres ) in AM, use centimeter N‑COUNT A centimetre is a unit of length in the metric system equal to ten millimetres or one-hundredth of a metre. □ …a tiny fossil plant, only a few centimetres high.
cen|ti|pede /se nt I piːd/ (centipedes ) N‑COUNT A centipede is a long, thin creature with a lot of legs.
cen|tral ◆◆◆ /se ntrəl/
1 ADJ Something that is central is in the middle of a place or area. □ …Central America's Caribbean coast. □ …a rich woman living in central London. ● cen|tral|ly ADV [ADV -ed, ADV after v] □ The main cabin has its full-sized double bed centrally placed with plenty of room around it.
2 ADJ A place that is central is easy to reach because it is in the centre of a city, town, or particular area. □ …a central location in the capital. ● cen|tral|ly ADV [ADV -ed, ADV after v] □ …this centrally located hotel, situated on the banks of the Marne Canal.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] A central group or organization makes all the important decisions that are followed throughout a larger organization or a country. □ There is a lack of trust towards the central government in Rome. □ …the central committee of the Cuban communist party. ● cen|tral|ly ADV [ADV -ed, ADV after v] □ This is a centrally planned economy.
4 ADJ The central person or thing in a particular situation is the most important one. □ [+ to ] Black dance music has been central to mainstream pop since the early '60s. □ …a central part of their culture. ● cen|tral|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the centrality of love to happiness. ● cen|tral|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ In her memoirs Naomi is quick to acknowledge that her grandmother was centrally important in her venture as a writer. SYNONYMS central ADJ 4
main: My main concern now is to protect the children.
chief: Financial stress is well established as a chief reason for divorce.
key: He is expected to be the key witness at the trial.
principaclass="underline" …the country's principal source of foreign exchange earnings.
fundamentaclass="underline" A fundamental human right is being withheld from these people.
ce n|tral hea t|ing N‑UNCOUNT Central heating is a heating system for buildings. Air or water is heated in one place and travels round a building through pipes and radiators.
cen|tral|ise /se ntrəla I z/ → see centralize
cen|tral|ism /se ntrəl I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Centralism is a way of governing a country, or organizing something such as industry, education, or politics, which involves having one central group of people who give instructions to everyone else.
cen|tral|ist /se ntrəl I st/ (centralists ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] Centralist organizations govern a country or organize things using one central group of people who control and instruct everyone else. □ …a strong centralist state. ● N‑COUNT A centralist is someone with centralist views.
cen|tral|ize /se ntrəla I z/ (centralizes , centralizing , centralized ) in BRIT, also use centralise VERB To centralize a country, state, or organization means to create a system in which one central group of people gives instructions to regional groups. □ [V n] In the mass production era, multinational firms tended to centralize their operations. □ [V -ed] The economy of the times made it difficult to support centralized rule. ● cen|trali|za|tion /se ntrəla I ze I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ …an increasing centralization of control over the environment.
ce n|tral|ly hea t|ed ADJ [usu ADJ n] A centrally heated building or room has central heating. □ Centrally heated offices tend to be stuffy.
ce n|tral ne rv|ous sys|tem (central nervous systems ) N‑COUNT Your central nervous system is the part of your nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord.
ce n|tral res|er|va |tion (central reservations ) N‑COUNT The central reservation is the strip of ground, often covered with grass, that separates the two sides of a major road. [BRIT ] in AM, use median , median strip
cen|tre ◆◆◆ /se ntə r / (centres , centring , centred ) in AM, use center 1 N‑COUNT [oft in names] A centre is a building where people have meetings, take part in a particular activity, or get help of some kind. □ We went to a party at the leisure centre. □ …the National Exhibition Centre.
2 N‑COUNT If an area or town is a centre for an industry or activity, that industry or activity is very important there. □ London is also the major international insurance centre.
3 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The centre of something is the middle of it. □ [+ of ] A large wooden table dominates the centre of the room. □ Bake until light golden and crisp around the edges and slightly soft in the centre.