center
(adjective) of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually
center
(noun) a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game
center
(noun) (American football) the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play; “it is a center’s responsibility to get the football to the quarterback”
center
(noun) the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
center, centre
(noun) a building dedicated to a particular activity; “they were raising money to build a new center for research”
plaza, mall, center, shopping mall, shopping center, shopping centre
(noun) mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace; “a good plaza should have a movie house”; “they spent their weekends at the local malls”
center, centre, nerve center, nerve centre
(noun) a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process; “in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere”
center, centre, center of attention, centre of attention
(noun) the object upon which interest and attention focuses; “his stories made him the center of the party”
kernel, substance, core, center, centre, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-gritty
(noun) the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; “the gist of the prosecutor’s argument”; “the heart and soul of the Republican Party”; “the nub of the story”
center, centre
(noun) the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
center
(noun) politically moderate persons; centrists
center
(noun) the middle of a military or naval formation; “they had to reinforce the center”
center, centre
(noun) a place where some particular activity is concentrated; “they received messages from several centers”
center, centre, midpoint
(noun) a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
center, centre, middle, heart, eye
(noun) an area that is approximately central within some larger region; “it is in the center of town”; “they ran forward into the heart of the struggle”; “they were in the eye of the storm”
center, snapper
(noun) (football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback; “the center fumbled the handoff”
center
(noun) (basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
center
(noun) (ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
concentrate, focus, center, centre, pore, rivet
(verb) direct one’s attention on something; “Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies”
center, centre
(verb) move into the center; “That vase in the picture is not centered”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
center (plural centers) (American spelling)
The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference. [from 14th c.]
The point in the interior of a sphere that is equidistant from all points on the circumference. [from 14th c.]
The middle portion of something; the part well away from the edges.
(geometry) The point on a line that is midway between the ends.
(geometry) The point in the interior of any figure of any number of dimensions that has as its coordinates the arithmetic mean of the coordinates of all points on the perimeter of the figure (or of all points in the interior for a center of volume).
(group theory, ring theory) The subgroup (respectively, subring), denoted Z(G), of those elements of a given group (respectively, ring) G that commute with every element of G.
A place where the greater part of some function or activity occurs.
A topic that is particularly important in a given context.
(sports) A player in the middle of the playing area
(basketball) The player, generally the tallest, who plays closest to the basket.
(ice hockey) The forward that generally plays between the left wing and right wing and usually takes the faceoffs.
(American football, Canadian football) The person who holds the ball at the beginning of each play.
(netball) A player who can go all over the court, except the shooting circles.
(soccer) A pass played into the centre of the pitch.
(rugby) One of the backs operating in a central area of the pitch, either the inside centre or outside centre.
(architecture) A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.
(engineering) One of the two conical steel pins in a lathe, etc, upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.
(engineering) A conical recess or indentation in the end of a shaft or other work, to receive the point of a center, on which the work can turn, as in a lathe.
(politics) The ensemble of moderate or centrist political parties.
(group theory): In the notation Z(G), the letter Z derives from the German Zentrum (“center”).
• (point on a line midway between the ends): midpoint; see also midpoint
• (point in the interior of figure with mean coordinates): centroid, center of gravity, center of mass
• (middle portion of something): middle, midst
• periphery
center (not comparable) (American spelling)
Of, at, or related to a center.
• central
center (third-person singular simple present centers, present participle centering, simple past and past participle centered) (American spelling)
(transitive) To cause (an object) to occupy the center of an area.
(transitive) To cause (some attribute, such as a mood or voltage) to be adjusted to a value which is midway between the extremes.
(transitive) To give (something) a central basis.
(intransitive) To concentrate on (something), to pay close attention to (something).
(engineering) To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.
The spelling centre is standard in UK English. In Canada it is typical in proper names, e.g. Toronto Centre for the Arts, but "center" is also commonly used otherwise, e.g. shopping center, center of town. Both spellings can be encountered even in the same text; e.g. in NHL hockey where there are many Canadian and US teams, reference might be made to the "center" forward position and a "centre" where a game is played.
The indirect object of the intransitive verb is given the prepositions on, in, at, or around. At is primary used only in mathematical contexts. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary observes that center around is objected to by some people on the grounds that it is illogical, but states that it is an idiom, and thus that such objections are irrelevant. It offers revolve around as an alternative to center around for those who would avoid the idiom.
• Centre, centre, recent, tenrec
Center
A surname.
A statutory town in Rio Grande County and Saguache County, Colorado.
An unincorporated community in Jackson County, Georgia.
An unincorporated community in Howard County, Indiana.
An unincorporated community in Jay County, Indiana.
An unincorporated community in Warrick County, Indiana.
An unincorporated community in Metcalfe County, Kentucky.
A small city and town in Missouri.
A county seat, Knox County, Nebraska.
A small city, the county seat of Oliver County, North Dakota.
A city, the county seat of Shelby County, Texas.
An unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Washington.
A town in Outagamie County, Wisconsin.
A town in Rock County, Wisconsin.
• Centre, centre, recent, tenrec
Source: Wiktionary
Cen"ter, n. Etym: [F. centre, fr. L. centrum, fr. round which a circle is described, fr.
1. A point equally distant from the extremities of a line, figure, or body, or from all parts of the circumference of a circle; the middle point or place.
2. The middle or central portion of anything.
3. A principal or important point of concentration; the nucleus around which things are gathered or to which they tend; an object of attention, action, or force; as, a center of attaction.
4. The earth. [Obs.] Shak.
5. Those members of a legislative assembly (as in France) who support the existing government. They sit in the middle of the legislative chamber, opposite the presiding officer, between the conservatives or monarchists, who sit on the right of the speaker, and the radicals or advanced republicans who occupy the seats on his left, See Right, and Left.
6. (Arch.)
Definition: A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position util the work becomes self-supporting.
7. (Mech.) (a) One of the two conical steel pins, in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves. (b) A conical recess, or indentation, in the end of a shaft or other work, to receive the point of a center, on which the work can turn, as in a lathe.
Note: In a lathe the live center is in the spindle of the head stock; the dead center is on the tail stock. Planer centers are stocks carrying centers, when the object to be planed must be turned on its axis. Center of an army, the body or troops ossupying the place in the line between the wings.
– Center of a curve or surface (Geom.) (a) A point such that every line drawn through the point and terminated by the curve or surface is bisected at the point. (b) The fixed point of reference in polar coördinates. See Coördinates.
– Center of curvature of a curve (Geom.), the center of that circle which has at any given point of the curve closer contact with the curve than has any other circle whatever. See Circle.
– Center of a fleet, the division or column between the van and rear, or between the weather division and the lee.
– Center of gravity (Mech.), that point of a body about which all its parts can be balanced, or which being supported, the whole body will remain at rest, though acted upon by gravity.
– Center of gyration (Mech.), that point in a rotating body at which the whole mass might be concentrated (theoretically) without altering the resistance of the intertia of the body to angular acceleration or retardaton.
– Center of inertia (Mech.), the center of gravity of a body or system of bodies.
– Center of motion, the point which remains at rest, while all the other parts of a body move round it.
– Center of oscillation, the point at which, if the whole matter of a suspended body were collected, the time of oscillation would be the same as it is in the actual form and state of the body.
– Center of percussion, that point in a body moving about a fixed axis at which it may strike an obstacle without communicating a shock to the axis.
– Center of pressure (Hydros.), that point in a surface pressed by a fluid, at which, if a force equal to the whole pressure and in the same line be applied in a contrary direction, it will balance or counteract the whole pressure of the fluid.
Cen"ter, Cen"tre v. i. [imp. & p. p. Centered or Centred (; p. pr. & vb. n. Centering or Centring.]
1. To be placed in a center; to be central.
2. To be collected to a point; to be concentrated; to rest on, or gather about, as a center. Where there is no visible truth wherein to center, error is as wide as men's fancies. Dr. H. More. Our hopes must center in ourselves alone. Dryden.
Cen"ter , Cen"tre, v. t.
1. To place or fix in the center or on a central point. Milton.
2. To collect to a point; to concentrate. Thy joys are centered all in me alome. Prior.
3. (Mech.)
Definition: To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
24 November 2024
(noun) a person (usually but not necessarily a woman) who is thoroughly disliked; “she said her son thought Hillary was a bitch”
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.
