{ Cen"ter*piece`, Cen"tre*piece` } (?), n. An ornament to be placed in the center, as of a table, ceiling, atc.; a central article or figure.
Cen*tes"i*mal (?), a. [L. centesimus the hundredth, fr. centum a hundred: cf. F. centÚsimal.] Hundredth. -- n. A hundredth part.
The neglect of a few centesimals.
Arbuthnot.
Cen*tes`i*ma"tion (?), n. [L. centesimore to take out or select every hundredth, fr. centesimus hundredth.] (Mil.) The infliction of the death penalty upon one person in every hundred, as in cases of mutiny.
Cen*tes"i*mo (s&ebreve;n"t&ebreve;s"&ibreve;*m&osl;), n.; pl. -mi (- mē). [It. & Sp.] A copper coin of Italy and Spain equivalent to a centime.
Cen"tesm (s&ebreve;n"t&ebreve;z'm), n. [L. centesima.] Hundredth.
Cen"ti*are` (?), n. [F. See Centare.] See centare.
Cen`ti*cip"i*tous (?), a. [L. centiceps, -cipitis; centum a hunder + caput head.] Hundred-headed.
Cen*tif"i*dous (?), a. [L. centifidus; centum + findere to split.] Divided into a hundred parts.
Cen`ti*fo"li*ous (?), a. [L. centifolius; centum + folium leaf.] Having a hundred leaves.
Cen"ti*grade (?), a. [L. centum a hundred + gradus degree: cf. F. centigrade.] Consisting of a hundred degrees; graduated into a hundred divisions or equal parts. Specifically: Of or pertaining to the centigrade thermometer; as, 10░ centigrade (or 10░ C.).
Centigrade thermometer, a thermometer having the zero or 0 at the point indicating the freezing state of water, and the distance between that and the point indicating the boiling state of water divided into one hundred degrees. It is called also the Celsius thermometer, from Anders Celsius, the originator of this scale.
{ Cen"ti*gram (?), Cen"ti*gramme (?), } n. [F. centigramme; centi- (L. centum) + gramme. See Gram.] The hundredth part of a gram; a weight equal to .15432 of a grain. See Gram.
{ Cen"ti*li`ter, Cen"ti*li`tre } (?), n. [F. centilitre; centi (L. centum) + litre. See Liter.] The hundredth part of a liter; a measure of volume or capacity equal to a little more than six tenths (0.6102) of a cubic inch, or one third (0.338) of a fluid ounce.
Cen*til"o*quy (?), n. [L. centum hundred + logui to speak.] A work divided into a hundred parts. [R.] Burton.
||Cen`time" (?), n. [F., fr. L. centesimus. See Centesimal.] (F. Coinage) The hundredth part of a franc; a small French copper coin and money of account.
{ Cen"ti*me`ter, Cen"ti*me`tre } (?), n. [F. centimŔtre; centi- (L. centum) + mŔtre. See Meter.] The hundredth part of a meter; a measure of length equal to rather more than thirty-nine hundredths (0.3937) of an inch. See Meter.
Cen"ti*nel (?), n. Sentinel. [Obs.] Sackville.
Cen*tin"o*dy (?), n. [L. centum a hundred + nodus knot: cf. F. centinode.] (Bot.) A weed with a stem of many joints (Illecebrum verticillatum); also, the Polygonum aviculare or knotgrass.
Cen"ti*ped (?), n. [L. centipeda; centum a hundred + pes, pedis, foot: cf. F. centipŔde.] (Zo÷l.) A species of the Myriapoda; esp. the large, flattened, venomous kinds of the order Chilopoda, found in tropical climates. they are many-jointed, and have a great number of feet. [Written also centipede (&?;).]
Cen"ti*stere (?), n. [F. centistŔre; centi- (l. centum) + stŔre.] The hundredth part of a stere, equal to .353 cubic feet.
Cent"ner (?), n. [Cf. G. centner a hundred-weight, fr. L. centenarius of a hundred, fr. centum a hundred.] 1. (Metal. & Assaying) A weight divisible first into a hundred parts, and then into smaller parts.
&fist; The metallurgists use a weight divided into a hundred equal parts, each one pound; the whole they call a centner: the pound is divided into thirty-two parts, or half ounces; the half ounce into two quarters; and each of these into two drams. But the assayers use different weights. With them a centner is one dram, to which the other parts are proportioned.
2. The commercial hundredweight in several of the continental countries, varying in different places from 100 to about 112 pounds.
Cen"to (?), n.; pl. Centos (#). [L. cento a garment of several pieces sewed together, patchwork, a poem made up of various verses of another poem.] A literary or a musical composition formed by selections from different authors disposed in a new order.
Cen"to*nism (?), n. The composition of a cento; the act or practice of composing a cento or centos.
Cen"tral (?), a. [L. centralis, fr. centrum: cf. F. central. See Center.] Relating to the center; situated in or near the center or middle; containing the center; of or pertaining to the parts near the center; equidistant or equally accessible from certain points.
Central force (Math.), a force acting upon a body towards or away from a fixed or movable center. -- Center sun (Astron.), a name given to a hypothetical body about which Mńdler supposed the solar system together with all the stars in the Milky Way, to be revolving. A point near Alcyone in the Pleiades was supposed to possess characteristics of the position of such a body.
{ Cen"tral (?), ||Cen*tra"le (?), } n. [NL. centrale, fr. L. centralis.] (Anat.) The central, or one of the central, bones of the carpus or or tarsus. In the tarsus of man it is represented by the navicular.
Cen"tral*ism (?), n. 1. The state or condition of being central; the combination of several parts into one whole; centralization.