century
century
Pronunciation
century
IPA: /ˈsɛntʃəri/
Syllable Breakdown:
cen-: /sɛn/
/s/ - unvoiced alveolar fricative
/ɛ/ - open-mid front unrounded vowel
/n/ - voiced alveolar nasal
tu-: /tʃə/
/tʃ/ - unvoiced postalveolar affricate
/ə/ - schwa (mid-central vowel)
ry: /ri/
/r/ - voiced alveolar approximant
/i/ - close front unrounded vowel
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: century
Plural Noun: centuries
(Note: "Century" does not typically have verb, adjective, or adverb forms directly derived from it in common usage. One might say "centuries-old" as an adjective, but "centuries" itself remains a plural noun in that construction.)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A period of one hundred years.
Synonyms: era, epoch, eon (though eon implies a much longer, indefinite period), centenary
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for a specific unit of time, but conceptually: moment, instant, second)
Definition 2: In some sports, particularly cricket, a score of one hundred runs by a single batsman.
Synonyms: ton (informal, especially in cricket), hundred
Antonyms: duck (zero score in cricket), flop
Definition 3: A group or unit of one hundred. (Less common in modern usage, but historically refers to groups of 100 soldiers in Roman legions, or other collections of 100 items.)
Synonyms: hundred, centenary (as a group of 100 items, not the time period)
Antonyms: fraction, portion (in the sense of less than 100)
Examples of Use
Books: "The early century had been marked by rapid technological advancements, forever changing the landscape of communication." (From The Future We Built, by Dr. Anya Sharma, October 2023)
Newspapers: "Economists predict that the current inflation trends could be the most significant challenge of the new century for developing nations." ( The Financial Times)
Online Publications: "How has climate change evolved over the past century, and what can we expect in the coming decades?" (National Geographic online article)
Entertainment Mediums (Film): In the film "2001: A Space Odyssey," the title itself refers to a new century, setting the stage for future events. (Release: April 1968)
Entertainment Platforms (Television Series): A narrator on "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" might state, "For a century, humanity gazed at the stars, wondering if life existed beyond Earth." (First aired: March 2014)
Entertainment Platforms (Video Games): In the strategy game Civilization VI, players strive to advance their civilization through various eras, often spanning many "game centuries." (Release: October 2016)
General Public Discourse: "My grandmother always says that life was so different a century ago, and it's hard to argue with that." (Heard in a casual conversation)
General Public Discourse: "The local cricket club is celebrating its first century this year, marking 100 years since its founding." (Announced at a community event)
10 Quotes Using Century
"The twentieth century was the American century." (Joseph Nye, The Paradox of American Power, 2002)
"The first half of this century was spent in a global cold war, and the second half in a global war on terror." (Madeleine Albright, Interview on CNN, May 2008)
"I believe that this century will be the Chinese century." (Condoleezza Rice, Speech at Stanford University, October 2005)
"The twenty-first century will be the century of the environment." (David Attenborough, The Life of Birds, 1998)
"Every century has its own problems and its own solutions." (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First Series, 1841)
"The challenge of the twenty-first century is to be able to share information and knowledge for all." (Jimmy Wales, Interview with CNN, January 2008)
"In the next century, people will not know how we lived without the Internet." (Bill Gates, The Road Ahead, 1995)
"The nineteenth century belonged to England; the twentieth century belonged to the United States; the twenty-first century will belong to China." (Attributed to Lee Kuan Yew, various sources)
"What a century of wonders we live in!" (Jules Verne, From the Earth to the Moon, 1865)
"The challenge of the twenty-first century is to reconcile the global with the local." (Zygmunt Bauman, Liquid Modernity, 2000)
Etymology
The word "century" has its roots in Latin. It comes from the Latin word "centuria," which literally meant a "group of one hundred." This Latin word itself is derived from "centum," meaning simply "one hundred."
In ancient Rome, "centuria" was used in several ways:
Military: It referred to a company of about 100 soldiers in the Roman army, led by a "centurion." This is perhaps its most famous early use.
Land Division: It was also a measure of land, typically 100 acres.
Political: It could also refer to a voting group of 100 citizens, organized by their property ownership.
The English word "century" started appearing in the Middle English period (around the late 1300s to early 1400s). Its earliest meaning in English was generally "a hundred (of anything)," echoing the broad Latin sense of "a group of one hundred." You might see it used to mean "a hundred prayers" or "a hundred items."
However, the specific and most common meaning we use today – a period of 100 years – is a bit newer. This sense emerged in English around the 1620s, as a shorter way of saying "a century of years," and became widely established by the 1650s. Interestingly, the Latin word "centuria" itself wasn't specifically used for a 100-year period; for that, the Romans used a different word, "saeculum" (which is where we get words like "secular"). So, the "100-year period" meaning for "century" developed specifically within the English language.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Century
A new century: Referring to the start of a new 100-year period (e.g., "We entered a new century of technological innovation.").
The turn of the century: The period around the transition from one century to the next (e.g., "Art Nouveau was popular at the turn of the century.").
For centuries: Indicating a very long period of time (e.g., "The tradition has been passed down for centuries.").
Last century: Referring to the previous 100-year period from the current one (e.g., "Many of these buildings were constructed last century.").
Centuries ago: A long, long time in the past (e.g., "This castle was built centuries ago.").
A century plant: A common name for certain agave species, based on the mistaken belief that they bloom only once every 100 years. (e.g., "The agave in the desert is often called a century plant.")
Score a century: In cricket, to score 100 runs. (e.g., "The batsman scored a century before lunch.")
Come once in a century: To happen very rarely. (e.g., "An event of this magnitude comes once in a century.")
Marking a century: Celebrating 100 years of something. (e.g., "The club is marking a century of its existence.")
Living for a century: To live to be 100 years old. (e.g., "She had a goal of living for a century.")
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of century from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
