English
center
Center comes from Ancient Greek κέντρον ‘something with a sharp point: point, spike, spur’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ḱéntrom.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱéntrom‘pointed tool’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kéntronreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκέντρονkéntron‘something with a sharp point: point’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentrum
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600centre
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500center
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1610–1611same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱéntrom‘pointed tool’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kéntronreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκέντρονkéntron‘something with a sharp point: point’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentrum
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600centre
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500center
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1610–1611same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Winters Tale: “Leo. No: if I mistake In those Foundations which…”
Linked words
through Ancient Greek κέντρον ‘something with a sharp point: point, spike, spur’
eccentric, kendra, centric, alcantara, centrale, cento, 14 more
through Latin centrum
central, concentric, centrum, 1 more
through Middle English center
Today it means
noun The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱéntrom / center