English
cent
Cent comes from Old French cent ‘one hundred’, from Latin centum ‘a hundred’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tóm ‘hundred’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱm̥tóm‘hundred’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kəntom‘hundred’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentum‘a hundred’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cent‘one hundred’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cent
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1450cent
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱm̥tóm‘hundred’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kəntom‘hundred’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentum‘a hundred’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cent‘one hundred’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cent
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1450cent
Earliest quotation: c. 1450, Octouian Imperator: “And broght with hem many stout cent / Of…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ ‘ten’
dick, ten, decade, dean, dozen, den, diner, decimal, tenfold, deca, denier, dwt, doyen, deni, 52 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tóm ‘hundred’
through Old French cent ‘one hundred’
Today it means
noun A subunit of currency equal to one-hundredth of the main unit of currency in many countries. Symbol: ¢.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tóm / cent