请输入您要查询的英文单词：

　

单词 centre
释义

centrecentern.1adj.

Brit. /ˈsɛntə/, U.S. /ˈsɛn(t)ər/
Forms: Middle English contre (transmission error), Middle English sentre, Middle English– centre, 1500s centour, 1500s centur, 1500s–1600s centure, 1500s– center (now chiefly U.S.); also Scottish pre-1700 ceinter, pre-1700 centir, 1900s– cintre (north-eastern).
Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French centre; Latin centrum.
Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman and Middle French centre (French centre ) middle point of a circle or sphere (early 13th cent. or earlier in Old French), middle part or portion of anything (c1275 or earlier), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin centrum stationary leg of a pair of compasses, point of this leg, midpoint of a circle or sphere, the earth, the universe, etc., midpoint of a non-circular area or object, point or axis about which something revolves < ancient Greek κέντρον sharp point, goad, peg, midpoint of a circle, in Hellenistic Greek also cardinal point on the ecliptic < the base of κεντεῖν to prick, goad, stab ( < the same Indo-European base as Old High German hantag pointed, and perhaps also Latvian sīts hunting spear) + -τρον , suffix forming nouns of instrument (compare -tron suffix). Compare Old Occitan centre (13th cent.), Catalan centre (14th cent.), Spanish centro (second half of the 13th cent.), Portuguese centro (15th cent.), Italian centro (late 13th cent.), all earliest in sense A. 2a; also Middle Dutch, Dutch centrum , Middle High German (in late sources) zenter (German Centrum , (now usually) Zentrum ). Compare centrum n.Specific senses. In sense A. 11c after French centre (1629 in the passage translated in quot. 1629, or earlier, in this sense). In sense A. 15 originally after French centre (although this is apparently first attested in this sense later than in English: 1821). Spelling variation. The prevalent spelling in the early modern period, from the 16th to the 18th centuries, was center (so in editions of major authors like Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, etc., as well as in the early dictionaries, down to all thirty editions of Bailey from 1721 to 1802). However, the technical volume of Bailey (Vol. II.), 1727–31, and the folio, 1730–6, have centre; Johnson (1755), who based his dictionary on an interleaved copy of Bailey's folio of 1730, adopted this spelling, and following Johnson's precedent, centre has become the usual form in British usage, whereas in U.S. usage center prevails.
A. n.1
I. The middle point of a circle or sphere, and related senses.
†1. A prick or dot made in the middle of a circle by the stationary point of a pair of compasses while the circle is described or drawn. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [noun] > middle or centre > of a circle or sphere > prick or dot
centrec1392
c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 24 (MED) This litel hole þat is no grettere than a smal nedle shal be cleped the comune centre defferent of planetes.
c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) i. §18. 10 The centre þat standith a-Middes the narwest cercle is cleped the senyth.
1551 R. Record Pathway to Knowl. i. sig. Aiiiv When a pricke standeth in the middell of a circle (as no circle can be made by compasse without it) then is it called a centre.
1672 W. Hughes Flower Garden (new ed.) 95 Center, Is a point or prick [in] the middle of a Line, or Circle, &c. being the Center to that Circle.
1768 J. Leadbeater Gentleman & Tradesman's Compl. Assistant iii. ii. 217 A circle..in the middle whereof is a prick, or point, by which the circle is described, which is called the center.
2.
a. The point around which a circle or sphere is described; the point that is equally distant from all points on the circumference or surface of a circle or sphere.In later use often understood as a particular application of sense A. 10.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [noun] > middle or centre > of a circle or sphere
centrec1392
c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 38 (MED) The centre of hir..epicicle..moeuyth equaly aboute the centre of the zodiac.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 233 (MED) This erthe..hath his centre after the lawe Of kinde.
c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) i. §4. 4 The centre of the large hole amydde.
c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 50v Hangynge & meuynge in þe myddil of þe round spere of þe firmament as a centre þat is sett in þe myddil of a sercle.
1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. xi. f. 316 The centre of a Sphere is that poynt which is also the centre of the semicircle.
1591 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke 18 His signe is a whole cirkle with a prick or point in the center or middle, thus ☉.
1624 J. Aspley Speculum Nauticum 3 A circular parallel is a circle drawne either within or without another circle vpon the same center.
1681 R. Boyle Disc. Things above Reason 17 All the lines that are drawn from the circumference to the Centre of the greater Circle must pass by differing points of the circumference of the smaller.
1702 J. Harris New Short Treat. Algebra 86 He could find the Center of a Circle which would cut the Parabola in as many Points as the Equation had real Roots.
1774 M. Mackenzie Treat. Maritim Surv. 23 The Lines..will intersect each other in..the Center of the Circle.
1822 T. Webster Imison's Elem. Sci. & Art (new ed.) I. 15 They are all drawn towards the center of the earth.
1879 J. N. Lockyer Elem. Lessons Astron. (new ed.) vii. xli. 239 A circle is a figure bounded by a curved line, all the points in which are the same distance from a point within the circle called the centre.
1961 Pop. Sci. May 26 Through the center of the sphere, drill a hole that measures exactly six inches in length.
2011 D. Berlinski King of Infinite Space vi. 62 Euclid has said that given a circle, all of the straight lines from its center to its circumference are equal.
b. figurative and in figurative contexts. Cf. sense A. 10c.
ΚΠ
1577 R. Stanyhurst Hist. Irelande iii. 91/1 in R. Holinshed Chron. I The Rebelles..stood houering aloofe off towards Ostmantowne greene, on the toppe of the hyll where the gallouse stoode (a fitte center for suche a circle).
1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets cxlvi. sig. I3 Poore soule the center of my sinfull earth.
1681 P. Rycaut tr. B. Gracián y Morales Critick 76 That Circle that others moved in, who winding in a continual compass..never passed forward, but reeling in a circumference, could not arrive to the Point, and Centre of Vertue.
a1711 T. Ken Hymnotheo v, in Wks. (1721) III. 167 His [sc. Jesus'] filial Love both Passions could employ, Grief the circumference was, the centre joy.
1836 R. W. Emerson Nature v. 53 The moral law lies at the centre of nature and radiates to the circumference.
1885 Contemp. Pulpit 4 63 Every deepening of a human nature..carries it [sc. a true conviction] in..to the centre of the sphere upon whose surface are described all the specific faiths of men.
1947 C. M. Mitchell Shakespeare Circle i. 5 After April, 1616, Hall was the centre of that ‘Circle’.
2010 J. H. Armstrong Your Church is too Small vi. 64 I find it helpful to think of the worldwide church as a large circle. At the center of this circle is Christ.
3. A point, pivot, or axis about which something turns or revolves. Also figurative and in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > revolution or rotation > [noun] > axis
spindle?c1343
centre?c1400
ax-tree1430
axe1551
cleat1611
spin axis1922
?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iv. pr. vi. l. 3912 Ryȝt as cercles þat tournen aboute a same Centre or about a poynt [L. cardinem], þilke cercle þat is inrest or moost wiþynne ioineþ to þe symplesse of þe myddel and is as it were a Centre or a poynt [L. cardo] to þat oþer cercles þat tournen abouten hym.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Squire's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 14 Of his corage as any Centre stable [margin Centrum circuli].
a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1869) I. 356 As þe sentre is lowest of alle þingis.
c1475 (a1449) J. Lydgate Isopes Fabules (Harl.) in Anglia (1886) 9 3 (MED) This fowle is..Stable as a centre on a grounde of trowth.
1566 tr. St. Augustine in R. Crowley Apol. Eng. Writers f. 88 He did foreordeyne or predestinate that the heauen should euer be turned, and the vnmoueable earth should be in place of a center vnto the turning heauen.
1666 Philos. Trans. 1665–6 (Royal Soc.) 1 18 One of my Friends..did maintain, that it [sc. a comet] turned about a Centre.
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iv. 531 As a rock Of Adamant, and as a Center, firm. View more context for this quotation
1717 S. Clarke tr. G. W. Leibniz in Papers between Leibnitz & Clarke 69 If God would cause a Body to move free in the Æther round about a certain fixed Centre.
1783 Whitehall Evening-post 6–9 Sept. Sir John Pringle considered them [sc. meteors] as bodies revolving about some centre.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 777 Gudgeon, the centres or pivots of a water-wheel.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. v. v. 322 Not even an Anarchy but must have a centre to revolve round.
1857 Ann. Sci. Discov. 191 The other celestial bodies which revolve about centres also revolve about their axes.
1910 Pop. Sci. Monthly May 440 Revolution is the motion of a mass about a center from which it is separated by a radius.
1963 H. E. Moore et al. Before the Wind i. 1 By the time the storm had passed..into the Gulf of Mexico, winds of gale force revolved around a center.
2000 J. Chakrabarty Appl. Plasticity ii. 75 The deformation mode..consists of rotation of the rigid material about a center C on the longitudinal axis of symmetry.
2009 W. B. Rice Hurricanes 10 In a hurricane, the winds spin around a center called the eye.
†4.
a. The centre of the earth. Obsolete (archaic and rare in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > [noun] > geosphere > centrosphere or core
centre1483
middle eartha1592
mid-earth1849
core1882
centrosphere1898
Nife1909
1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) (1859) i. iii. 4 The erthe seemyd me al clere, and transparaunt, soo that I myght see clerely al that was withynne. Thenne byhelde I the Centre..whiche was wonder derck.
?1566 W. P. tr. C. S. Curio Pasquine in Traunce f. 42v Naturall writers affirme, that heauy things of their owne nature go down to the Centre.
1596 B. Griffin Fidessa xxxvi. sig. D2v Let my bodie naturally descend Into the bowels of our common mother, And to the very Center let it wend.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet ii. ii. 161 I will finde Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeede Within the Center . View more context for this quotation
1611 C. Tourneur Atheist's Trag. (new ed.) iv. sig. I3 I will search the Center but I'le finde the murderer.
1821 C. Lamb in London Mag. Dec. 604/2 With the feeling of an English freeholder that all betwixt sky and centre was my own.
1837 T. Hood in Athenæum 29 Apr. 305/3 We shall be..a sort of copyholders, with something between the sky and the centre, that we can call our own.
b. The earth itself, considered as the centre of the universe. Obsolete.Perhaps influenced by sense A. 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > earth > [noun] > as centre of universe
middenerdeOE
middle-erdc1175
middle worldc1175
middle earthc1300
mids-worlda1325
mid-world?1536
centre1579
mid-earth1810
1579 T. Hill tr. L. Fioravanti Ioyfull Iewell sig. B.iijv Often times the Water is corrupted by the cause of the center [It. centro] aswel as by the other causes of planets.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 85 The heauens them-selues, the plannets and this center Obserue degree, prioritie and place. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 74 As far remov'd from God and light of Heav'n As from the Center thrice to th' utmost Pole. View more context for this quotation
5.
a. A point from which something proceeds, emanates, originates, or develops; a nucleus, a source. See also Phrases 1x.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [noun]
welleOE
mothereOE
ordeOE
wellspringeOE
fathereOE
headeOE
oreOE
wellspringOE
rootc1175
morea1200
beginningc1200
head wella1325
sourcec1374
principlea1382
risinga1382
springinga1382
fountain14..
springerc1410
nativity?a1425
racinea1425
spring1435
headspring?a1439
seminaryc1440
originationc1443
spring wellc1450
sourdre1477
primordialc1487
naissance1490
wellhead?1492
offspringa1500
conduit-head1517
damc1540
springhead1547
principium1550
mint1555
principal1555
centre1557
head fountain1563
parentage1581
rise1589
spawna1591
fount1594
parent1597
taproot1601
origin1604
fountainhead1606
radix1607
springa1616
abundary1622
rist1622
primitive1628
primary1632
land-spring1642
extraction1655
upstart1669
progenerator1692
fontala1711
well-eye1826
first birth1838
ancestry1880
Quelle1893
1557 T. North tr. A. de Guevara Diall Princes ii. xxxii. f. 135/2 The gods are but as a center of mercy [Sp. centro de clemencia], and men are but as a denne of malyce.
1595 T. Tymme tr. C. van Adrichem Briefe Descript. Hierusalem 4 From thence [sc. Ierusalem] as from a center, the apostles spred forth the Euangelicall doctrine throughout the world.
1642 H. More Ψυχωδια Platonica sig. B5 She is the centre from whence all the light Dispreads.
1673 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 8 5194 Shooting it self forth into several points or stiriæ..from-ward its Center.
1737 R. Glover Leonidas vi. 250 The center of corruption.
1760 L. Carter Let. to Lord B—p of L—n 38 Perhaps it is from thence, as from a feeling Center, all your Fears and Apprehensions radiate.
1812 H. Davy Elements Chem. Philos. 195 The light..proceeds in right lines or rays from the luminous body as a center.
1849 Athenæum 24 Mar. 304/2 The British Islands have been colonized from various centres of creation in (now) continental Europe.
1876 J. B. Mozley Serm. preached Univ. of Oxf. ix. 188 Sick lives are centres of improving and refining influence.
1927 B. Russell Outl. Philos. xv. 163 Modern physics..reduces matter to a set of events which proceed outward from a centre.
1976 T. Stoppard Dirty Linen 28 It needs no Gibbon come from the grave to spell out the danger to good government of a moral vacuum at the centre of power.
2005 R. Webster At Fireside III. 57 The Cricketer's Arms..was certainly the centre from which fights and other disturbances tended to radiate.
b. Anatomy and Zoology. = centre of ossification at Phrases 1x; also called ossific centre, ossification centre.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > formation of bone > [noun] > centre of ossification
centre of ossification1699
centre1790
1699 tr. de La Vauguion Compl. Body Chirurg. Operations xxi. 158 In the third Month several Points appear, which like so many Centers, begin the Ossification.]
1790 J. Aitken Ess. Fractures & Luxations 8 In the broad bones it [sc. osseous matter] appears in points called Centres, or Nuclei.
1818 T. C. Morgan Sketches Philos. Life iii. 188 In every bone, ossification begins from several of these centres.
1876 Quain's Elements Anat. (ed. 8) I. 19 The lateral centres [for each vertebra] appear about the 7th week.
1930 A. M. Marshall et al. Junior Course Pract. Zool. (ed. 11) xiii. 313 Each [bone] ossifies from three centres: but the several bones..early unite to form an irregular mass.
2001 Herpetologica 57 324/2 Subsequently, a second center develops in the anterior and medial rami [of the pterygoid].
6. A point towards which things move or tend; a focus of concentration or attraction. See also centre of attraction n. at Phrases 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > [noun] > focus of attention
centre1582
focus1751
focal point1755
nodal point1862
centre stage1887
1582 R. Hopkins tr. Luis de Granada Of Prayer, & Medit. v. f. 247 This is the last ende and center of all our desires.
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1954) VII. 284 The center of reverence..to which all reverence flowed.
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler ii. 63 Viewing the Silver streams glide silently towards their center, the tempestuous Sea. View more context for this quotation
1791 Morning Chron. 15 Feb. Wherever it [sc. Indian influence] prevailed, it had a tendency to make every thing else gravitate to its centre.
1827 R. Pollok Course of Time I. v. 206 Centre to which all being gravitates.
1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam lxii. 88 The centre of a world's desire. View more context for this quotation
1887 J. C. Fillmore New Lessons Harmony xxi. 52 The reiteration of chord progressions which point toward some other chord than the original tonic as a tonal centre.
1920 Times Lit. Suppl. 4 Nov. 715/1 The essays before us, though diversely prompted, all converge towards one centre.
1978 R. G. Walker Infernal Paradise ii. 78 Mexico..was the galvanizing ‘centre’ towards which he progressed..centripetally.
2002 D. Gramit Cultivating Music v. 125 The concert constituted the center toward which musical education would lead those who received the benefits of proper cultivation.
7. That point within a body at which it must be supported in order to resist the force of gravity; the point at which gravity may be considered to act upon a body or system of bodies. Also figurative.More fully centre of gravity, centre of balance, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > statics > [noun] > equal balance of opposing forces > centre of mass or gravity
centre of gravity1633
centre1668
centre of inertia1785
centre of balance1797
centre of mass1842
centroid1844
1668 W. Temple in W. B. Scoones Four Cent. Eng. Lett. 127 Things drawn out of their center are not to be moved without much force, or skill, or time; but, to make their return to their center again, there is required but little of either.
1704 J. Swift Full Acct. Battel between Bks. in Tale of Tub 238 By his own unhappy Weight, and tendency towards his Center.
1860 R. W. Emerson Behaviour in Conduct of Life (London ed.) 158 If the man is off his centre, the eyes show it.
1960 A. H. Benade Horns, Strings, & Harmony ii. 32 The maximum distance away from its center, or ‘equilibrium’ position, that the pendulum bob moves during its swing toward either side is called the amplitude of oscillation.
8. In a lathe: a bearing having a conical point, used for supporting an object being worked.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine tool > [noun] > adjustable bearing holding workpiece
centre1674
1674 R. Hooke Animadversions Machina Cœlestis 67 A Center or Point of Steel, very well turn'd, hardned and sharp, which is to move in a conical hole fit to receive it, of as good and well hardned Steel.
1797 Trans. Soc. Arts 15 273 The treadle moveable at the end of the platform..between two centers.
1879 J. J. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. IV. 47 The crank [shaft] has been made to run in bearings, on centers.
1931 Pop. Mech. July 172/2 The cylinder is..turned between centers, the diameter being left slightly greater than the required finished dimension.
2005 R. Raffan Taunton's Compl. Illustr. Guide to Turning v. 40/1 Check the alignment of the centers before fixing any lathe to a floor or bench.
†9. Shooting. On a target: the innermost circle surrounding the bullseye; (also) a shot that strikes this circle. Cf. to drive the centre at drive v. Phrases 5. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > mark or target > centre
centre1859
inner-
1859 Regulations for Musketry Instr. Army 54 To keep a memorandum of each shot fired, under the head of bull's-eyes, centres, outers, ricochets, and misses.
1876 Johnson's New Universal Cycl. II. 735/2 A certain space around the bull's eye is called the ‘centre’.
1921 W. E. Persons Mil. Sci. & Tactics I. xviii. 204 The value of a shot will be indicated to the firing point as follows:..If a center (four), with a red disc.
II. More generally: the middle point or part of something; something regarded as central, principal, essential, most significant, etc.
10.
a. A point equidistant from the extremities of a body or figure; (more generally) a point whose position relative to a given body or figure is considered to be in some way analogous to that of the centre of a circle, esp. a centroid.The centre of a conic section is frequently defined as the point midway along the transverse axis of the conic section. The centre of an ellipse or hyperbola is the point situated midway between its two foci, whereas that of a parabola is variously regarded as not being defined at all, or as lying at a point at infinity.The first occurrence of centre in quot. c1392 is with reference to a component of an astronomical instrument which rotates about a fixed point, and may thus belong at sense A. 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > point > [noun] > forming a centre
centrec1392
centre of magnitude1599
radial point1738
incentre1882
c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 24 The centre of this rewle shal be nayled to the centre of the forseide barre.
1551 R. Record Pathway to Knowl. i. sig. F (heading) To find the commen centre belongyng to anye three prickes appointed, if they be not in an exacte right line.
1570 H. Billingsley in tr. Euclid Elements Geom. xi. f. 316 The poynt which is the center of the semicircle, by whose motion the Sphere was described, is also the centre of the Sphere.
1645 D. Papillon Pract. Abstr. Fortification & Assailing xii. 35 The Center of the Equilaterall Triangle is in the third part of the perpendicularie line of it, and not in the middest.
1673 I. Newton Let. 17 Sept. in Corr. (1959) I. 307 Ye lines..which are drawn from ye center of an Ellipsis to the angular points of a polygon inscribed into ye same Ellipsis.
1743 W. Emerson Doctr. Fluxions 187 Let AD be an Hyperbola, B the Center.
1786 Universal Mag. Dec. 315 If the centre of the cross hairs does not cover the last object fixed on, set it to that object by [etc.].
1840 D. Lardner Treat. Geom. 91 Lines drawn from the centre to the angles of the polygon.
1863 P. Frost & J. Wolstenholme Treat. Solid Geom. xii. 186 The center of the hyperboloid must be a center of the section.
1933 Math. Gaz. 17 91 The three points of an equilateral triangle, the fourth point being the centre of the triangle itself.
1975 New Scientist 10 Apr. 81/2 The differences..are far more noticeable to a listener who is sitting away from the truly ideal ‘quadraphonic seat’ at the centre of the rectangle of speakers.
2010 S.-T. Yan & S. Nadis Shape Inner Space iii. 67 Let's place a sphere inside a large ellipsoid, or watermelon-shaped surface, so that the centers of those objects coincide.
b. gen. The middle point or part of anything; the innermost part or portion, the midst; the zone or region which is equidistant or remote from all sides, ends, or surfaces.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [noun] > middle or centre
middleeOE
mideOE
midwardOE
middleheada1325
pointc1330
midsa1382
meanc1390
middleward1431
midstc1450
centrea1500
centrya1535
navel1604
umbilic1607
meditullium1611
half-way1634
umbrila1636
amidst1664
eye1671
umbil1688
omphalos1845
mid-career1911
middle-middle1926
a1500 (c1477) T. Norton Ordinal of Alchemy (BL Add.) (1975) l. 1466 Myght it not entre and perse The centres of metalle as auctours reherce.
a1500 (c1477) T. Norton Ordinal of Alchemy (BL Add.) (1975) l. 2651 With-in centris of incomplete white was hidde oure red stone of most delite.
1578 J. Banister Hist. Man v. f. 76v The middest, or as it were the centre of the hollow veyne.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. i. 115 The crimson tainte, which should be laid vpon a Ladies lips, or right in the center of her cheekes.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) ii. ii. 6 The Market-Place, The middle Centure of this cursed Towne. View more context for this quotation
1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ vi. lvii. 86 Though they dwelt in the center of Spain, not far from Toledo.
1707 J. Addison Rosamond i. ii. 13 Full in the Center of the Grove.
1776 W. Withering Bot. Arrangem. Veg. Great Brit. I. 176 The florets in the center are smaller than the others.
1802 C. James New Mil. Dict. (at cited word) Centre of a battalion, on parade, is the middle, where an interval is left for the colours; of an encampment, it is the main street; and on a march, it is an interval for the baggage, &c.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. vii. 152 Near the centre of a deep but narrow bay.
1880 Scribner's Monthly June 221/2 The centers of the great, gummy logs.
1920 R. A. Freeman Savant's Vendetta ii. 18 I halted in the centre of the long room and looked about me.
1954 Astrophysical Jrnl. 119 221 In the center of the nebula..is a straight jet, extending from the nucleus.
1974 J. B. Finean et al. Membranes & Cellular Functions iv. 64 The full biological potency of insulin appears only after proteolytic removal of a large fragment..from the centre of the polypeptide chain.
2010 Yale Literary Mag. Fall 37 (stage direct.) At the rear of the stage is a raised platform with a catwalk running downstage at the center.
c. figurative, esp. with reference to an immaterial or abstract thing; the most essential part; the heart, the core.
ΚΠ
?1536 W. Tyndale Path Way Holy Script. sig. B.vii With a feruent & a burnynge lust from the center of the hert.
1575 G. North tr. Philibert Philosopher of Court 8 It is commonly sayd that vertue is the centre or midst of vice: for none can so little decline to any side, but falleth into one vice or other.
1628 T. Spencer Art of Logick 169 Predication is the very Center, and life of Logicke.
1683 T. Tryon Way to Health 317 If the Disorder happen near the Center of Life.
1709 A. W. Boehm Life of a Christian 8 Some ruinous pieces and weak Impressions in the inmost Center of the Soul.
a1788 N. Cotton Var. Pieces Verse & Prose (1791) I. 234 Yes, kings, and sons of kings, must fall! A truth Britannia lately felt, And trembled to her center!
1838 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Ferdinand & Isabella I. Introd. p. lvi Those dismal scenes of faction, which convulsed the little commonwealths to their centre.
1887 Path Aug. 157 The most beneficial way to reach the centre of another is to mentally address yourself to his subconscious mind with firm, steady thought.
1932 G. Greene Stamboul Train i. i. 7 He was again in the centre of a hostile world.
2014 Church Times 17 Jan. 40/4 As one grows old, aspects of belief wither and fall away like petals, leaving a stout centre.
11. Military.
a. The main body of troops in an army, occupying the space between the two wings, or between the front and rear; (also) the middle division of a fleet.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > part of army by position > [noun] > main body or middle
stalec1350
chivalry1382
rangale?a1400
middlewardc1440
battle1489
main battle1569
main-ward1570
centre1590
camp-royal1593
main body1595
grossc1600
battalia1613
battalion1653
centreline1774
1590 J. Thorie tr. F. de Valdés Sergeant Maior f. 12 I intend that withint the midst of the squadron and centre of it there should be a place, wher the hargubuzers shold be placed in their order.
1598 R. Barret Theorike & Pract. Mod. Warres Gloss. 250 Centre,..is the middle of a battell, or other things.
1691 J. Ashby Acct. Engagem. at Sea 15 If he had taken Tourville to engage, his Rear must be over powered; he edg'd away to the Southward, to bring himself to the Center of the Fleet.
1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 210. ⁋8 One [body] to be commanded by himself in the Center.
1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. xii. 386 Brought some pieces of cannon to bear upon their center.
1836 T. Keightley Hist. Rome iii. iii. 208 The Roman wings..gave way and fled; the centre, about 10,000 men, drove back the Punic troops in front of it.
1871 S. Smiles Character i. 17 At the combat of Vera, when the Spanish centre was broken.
1910 G. W. Redway War of Secession vi. 129 Each army in turn..found itself confronted by the problem whether to break the centre or turn the flank.
1960 H. H. Adams et al. in E. B. Potter Sea Power vii. 134/2 Then the roar of battle resumed, and ships of the French center and rear began to strike their colors.
2004 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 29 Apr. 57/2 The Polish heavy cavalry..broke the Turkish line on the army's right wing and in the center.
b. In the context of manoeuvring or drilling: the middle point or portion of a body of soldiers; the middle soldier of any rank. Also in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier by position > [noun] > in middle
middleman1616
centre1627
mouser1802
1627 T. Kellie Pallas Armata 100 This Figure is a wheeling of the Battell by the Center, to the right hand, where the fift File leader D* did stand as the Center.
1672 T. Venn Mil. & Maritine Discipline i. 127 Secondly, wheelings on the midst (or Center). I shall not use the word Center, for it is more proper to a circular body than to a square.
1788 D. Dundas Princ. Mil. Movements 89 A battalion already formed in line, may change its front by a countermarch from both flanks on the center.
1797 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry (rev. ed.) 240 The squadron will receive the word, Center Dress!
1832 Proposed Regulations Cavalry ii. 33 Their Centres and Lefts move up.
1878 Army & Navy Jrnl. (U.S.) 28 Dec. 361/1 A dress on the centre followed in which the guides inverted their pieces.
1911 Infantry Drill Regulations U.S. Army 32 The instructor places himself 3 paces in front of where the center is to be and commands: Fall in.
1948 Calif. Jrnl. Secondary Educ. 23 83 The drill master stands in the center of the formation surrounded by four soldiers who toss their bayonetted weapons above and around his head.
2009 D. K. Sams 101 Drill Team Exercises iv. 215/1 During the next rotation, the horses closest to the center walk, the horses second from the center trot or jog, the horses third from the center walk, and so on.
†c. Fortification. The midpoint of the gorge (gorge n.1 6) of a bastion, typically taken as the point at which the curtain walls adjacent to the bastion would intersect one another if extended. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1629 F. Malthus tr. Treat. Artific. Fire-works 190 The center of the fort [Fr. centre du fort] shal be D, & the intersection E, which is made by the line OC, shal be center of one bastion.
1669 P. Staynred Compend. Fortification 7 in S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. Take the same from the Scale of Equal parts, and lay it from the Bastion Point at A, and it falls in the Point E, which will be the Center of the Bastion.
1759 tr. G. Le Blond Mil. Engineer II. 93 Center of the bastion, is the point where the prolongments of the two neighbouring curtains intersect.
1809 W. Nicholson Brit. Encycl. V. at Polygon The interior polygon is formed by lines joining the centres of the bastions.
1853 J. H. Stocqueler Mil. Encycl. 142/1 Interior side is the line of the curtain produced to the two oblique radii of the front, or a line drawn from the centre of one bastion to that of the next.
12.
a. Esp. with of and noun phrase. A central point or place with respect to its surroundings; (with reference to a city, region, etc.) the most significant place with regard to a particular activity, industry, etc.; a place or point around which things are situated or gathered.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [noun] > position of being in the midst > point which forms centre for its surroundings
centre1593
1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation 86 What a blissefull destinie had the Commonwealth, that must be the Modell of all other Commonwealthes, and the very Center of the Christian world?
1624 E. Bolton Nero Caesar xxv. 120 The standing court or palace-roiall of their kings..was now become the center of pleasant retirements for the Romans, not the rendeuous of their power.
1686 H. Prideaux Lett. (1875) 146 We live here remote from ye center of affairs.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 474. §1 The Center of Business and Pleasure.
1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) II. 492 The centre of all the powers of the kingdom.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. ii. i. 96 The Heart and presiding centre of a France fallen wholly into maddest disarrangement.
1877 M. Oliphant Makers of Florence (ed. 2) i. 1 The great centres of old Italian life, Rome and Venice and Florence.
1913 Times 11 Jan. 5/2 The district..being the centre of the Albanian language movement.
1955 G. Grigson Englishman's Flora 209 Colchester in Essex was the centre of the eringoe trade.
2009 L. L. MacDonald Tejanos in 1835 Texas Revol. i. 37 San Fernando de Béxar..became the center of society and prosperity.
b. A location regarded as constituting the central point or focus of a city, district, etc., typically by virtue of being the part where population is densest, or where trade or some other activity is most concentrated.city centre, town centre: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > part of town or city > [noun] > centre
midtown1532
centre1699
downtown1851
downstreet1865
midtown1882
1699 J. Aickin Londerias ii. 25 In the Towns center stands the Common-Hall On stately Pillars: the Main-guard and all.
1758 J. Adams tr. A. de Ulloa Voy. S.-Amer. II. i. xii. 126 Twenty noble families, who live in the center of the town.
1796 W. Hutchinson Hist. & Antiq. City Carlisle 76 The Town-hall, Moot hall, and Council-chamber, conspicuously situated in the centre of the city.
1837 Directory Cleveland & Ohio, 1837–8 71 Clancy Jeremiah, laborer, Cleveland centre.
1887 Wide Awake Aug. 151/2 Every inch of ground traversed brings us nearer to a mine of history and tradition—the town's centre.
1896 Punch 61 143 But here we are at Market Street... This is the spot our parsons call ‘The city's pulsing centre’.
1978 M. Puzo Fools Die xiv. 152 The sawdust joints in the center of town.
2000 N. Buckley & J. Buckley Best Tea Shop Walks Norfolk 45 One of the most attractive market..towns in Norfolk, Holt has a fine centre.
2010 Independent on Sunday 1 Aug. 16/4 Today the centre of Manchester will be closed to vehicles for one of 13 Sky Rides taking places this year.
c. Originally U.S. A building, group of buildings, or organization devoted to a particular activity, concern, etc.Recorded earliest in shopping centre n. Frequently with modifying word; for more established compounds, as arts centre, health centre, sports centre, etc., see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > types of building generally > [noun] > other types of building
bridge house1319
searching housea1525
folly1591
engine house1626
hut1629
pot gallery1630
pantheon1713
government office1750
enclosure1754
substation1833
art centre1863
centre1884
arts centre1922
quadplex1946
quadruplex1946
bhavan1949
low-rise1965
quad1971
quadrominium1971
see-through1975
common house1989
1884 Sunday Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 28 Dec. 10/1 A great shopping center, such as Macy's.
1920 Washington Post 14 Nov. ii. 19/4 The 117,000 persons who visited the center [i.e. the Community Service building] during the past year.
1944 Times 1 Aug. 5/6 The Peckham Health Centre..is a recreational and cultural community centre which seeks to promote the good health of its members... If more such centres are created after the war it is to be expected that [etc.].
1974 Howard Jrnl. 14 37 One aspect of a larger collective project being undertaken by members of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies on ‘mugging’.
2010 J. Wendt Nice Work 214 Half a million students have visited the centre to hear the survivors' stories.
d. With modifying word: a device or piece of equipment designed to provide everything the user needs for the specified activity or pastime.See also music centre n.
ΚΠ
1954 Washington Post 7 Feb. 4 r/2 All necessary phases of everyday cooking can be performed conveniently at a single, self-contained cooking center.
1984 J. Kelman Busconductor Hines ii. 55 He put an L.P. record on the music-centre, setting the arm so that it played continuously.
1991 Curiosity Shop Summer 23/2 The sewing centre folds out to reveal 24 spools of thread, seam pick, thread cutter, buttons, poppers, [etc.].
2011 New Yorker 28 Mar. 59/2 You'll revel in a world of scent that no workstation, media center, 3-D movie, or smartphone can hope to match.
13. Chess.
†a. The king's file and queen's file. Cf. centre pawn n. at Compounds 3. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1750 ‘A. D. Philidor’ Chess Analysed 42 The King and Queen's Pawn are better than any other two Pawns. They occupying the Centre, hinder best your Adversary's Pieces from hurting you.
b. The central area of the board; (now usually) the four squares in the middle. Also: the position of a player's pawns in the central area, esp. the middle four squares.
ΚΠ
1806 Easy Introd. Game of Chess I. 2/1 Your first attention should be paid to place your Pawns in the centre, and gain room for the action of your Pieces, so as not to expose your King.
1854 Chess Chron. 2 168 This is a false attack. He had better have marched on with his Q.'s Pawn to break up Black's centre.
1891 L. Zollner Princ. Chess 15 If you can occupy the centre of the board, especially with your Pawns, if you have a strong centre and have not lost any material, you have almost won a battle.
1921 J. R. Capablanca Chess Fund. iv. 102 White might play 15 K R—Q 1, keeping the option of breaking up the centre later on.
1963 A. S. Russell tr. L. Pachman Mod. Chess Strategy ix. 170 The position of the pawns on Q4 and K4 corresponds best with the way known to the Italian School of using the centre.
2006 Independent 8 June (Extra section) 23/2 Black attempts to equalise immediately by liquidating the centre.
14. Anatomy and Zoology. A ganglion (group of nerve cell bodies); (also) a region of the nervous system controlling a specific function; = nerve centre n. (a) at nerve n. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > nervous system > cerebrospinal axis > [noun] > grey matter > nerve centre
ganglion1805
centre1809
nerve bulb1862
nerve centre1870
1809 T. Watkins tr. X. Bichat Physiol. Res. Life & Death i. vi. 59 In the neck the three cervical ganglions.., in the breast the twelve thoracics, in the abdomen the semilunar, the lumbars, &c...; these are the different centres whose ramifications must be examined separately, as that of the cerebral centre is considered.
1847 W. B. Carpenter Zool.: Systematic Acct. II. §998 A number of ganglia or distinct centres of nervous action. From these diverging filaments are sent off, which are distributed to the various organs.
1869 T. H. Huxley Lessons Elem. Physiol. (ed. 3) xi. 297 The grey matter of the upper part of the cord is..a vaso-motor centre for the head and face.
1974 V. B. Mountcastle Med. Physiol. (ed. 13) I. v. xxix. 765/1 ‘Internal feedback’ from the motor centers themselves is required to monitor their performance.
2012 C. Fernyhough Pieces of Light (2013) i. 16 Brain imaging shows activity in the frontal lobes..through the emotional circuits of the amygdala system and the associative centres of the neocortex.
15. Politics. Usually with the. Sometimes with capital initial. (a) Those members of moderate opinions in a European legislature, by custom seated on the central benches in front of the president (now historical); the views and objectives of such members; (b) any party or political group which holds moderate views; those who hold such views considered collectively, esp. as a part of the political spectrum.The use originates with the seating positions of the 1789 French National Assembly, in which the nobility and high clergy were seated in the position of honour to the right of the Chair, and the third estate and lower-status clergy to the left. As these positions became associated with reactionary and radical views respectively, the central benches came to be associated with less extreme views.See also the notes at left adj.1 2 and right adj. 15.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > French politics > [noun] > centre party
valley1792
plain1797
centre1819
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > groups or attitudes right to left > [noun] > the centre
centre1819
1819 H. M. Williams Lett. Events France since Restoration vi. 68 The party of the Centre [in France]..is composed, for the most part, of men unmoved and motionless amidst the most important deliberations.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. vi. ii. 308 Answered from Right Side, from Centre and Left, by inextinguishable laughter.
1874 Times 31 Dec. 9/2 The Party which is known in [the German] Parliament as the Catholic Centre.
1907 Edinb. Rev. Jan. 4 The average man is of the Centre; and history in the long run is made by the average man.
1962 Listener 3 May 774/2 Those socialists and others orientated left (or right) of centre who are automatically biased against the United States.
1985 D. E. Blake & D. J. Elkins in P. Leslie Canada ii. 39 Most British Columbia voters gravitate towards the ideological centre.
2014 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 3 Oct. Given a choice between coalition partners of the centre or a party to its extreme, a governing party will reach for the centre.
16. A senior officer in any of various Irish republican organizations (esp. the Fenian Brotherhood or the Irish Republican Brotherhood). Now historical.head centre: see head n.1 Compounds 4.
ΚΠ
1863 Proc. 1st National Convent. Fenian Brotherhood 5 You have been called here to a convention to be composed of the Centres of the Fenian Brotherhood, assisted by delegates from its several Circles.
1896 J. O'Leary Recoll. Fenians & Fenianism I. x. 84 A ‘circle’ was analogous to a regiment,..the ‘centre’..might be considered equivalent to a colonel.
1919 A. C. Cole Era Civil War xv. 344 Local societies called ‘circles’ under officers designated as ‘centres’ were formed in every Irish community.
2010 B. Kennerk Shadow of Brotherhood vii. 97 The infamous Fenian Thomas Francis, a centre with sixty-five men under his control.
17. Sport.
a. Baseball. Short for centre field n. at Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > baseball > baseball player > [noun] > fielder or baseman
centre field1835
short stopc1837
base player1842
outfielder1855
short1856
short field1856
baseman1857
left field1857
right field1857
short fielder1857
third baseman1857
right fielder1860
centre1866
infielder1867
scout1870
relayer1910
sacker1914
first base1959
1866 Wilkes' Spirit of Times (N.Y.) 23 June 262/3 Edwards, as centre, is decidedly the best fielder in the nine.
1875 Hartford (Connecticut) Daily Courant 16 Aug. Sommerville..scored on Geer's one-base hit to center.
1910 J. J. Evers & H. S. Fullerton Touching Second iv. 70 He swung Schulte to right field,..put Sheckard in left, and with Slagle in center regarded the work as finished.
1966 Sunday Sun (Baltimore) 19 June a2/6 It was Crowe, quite a hitter himself, who got George hitting the ball a bit to left of center.
1991 M. Mantle My Favorite Summer: 1956 xiii. 206 Most of my home runs were to left center, right center and dead center.
2014 Guardian (Nexis) 23 Oct. Two on, two out for Morse who flies to center to end the inning.
b. In various team sports: a player occupying a position in the middle of a line or group of players, or the position occupied by such a player; spec. (Rugby) = centre three-quarter n. at Compounds 3. Also: a player whose position is in the middle of the field, or the position occupied by such a player.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions
wing-back1734
goalkeeper1789
outfielder1855
quarter1857
centre fielder1865
outfield1867
quarterback1867
right1867
centre1868
left wing1871
left-back1873
left half-back1873
centre forward1874
left-centre1877
right-centre1877
centre back1878
centre half-back1879
forward1879
back1880
right wing1880
right half-back1881
goaltender1882
right-winger1882
wing1882
centre half1884
left winger1884
inside1886
half1887
custodian1888
left half1888
midfielder1888
left wing1889
right half1889
centreman1890
midfield1890
outside right1890
outfieldsman1891
goalie1894
winger1896
infield1897
inside forward1897
inside right1897
outside forward1897
outside1898
outside left1900
rearguard1904
pivot1911
wing-man1942
keeper1957
link1958
linkman1963
midfield1976
1868 Chambers's Encycl. X. 597/1 La Crosse... In the arrangement of the men on each side..centre is in the centre of the field.
1892 Young Eng. Sept. 442/1 The big ‘centre’, taking in the situation at a glance, slips round.
1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 411/2 [Rugby football.] Three Three-quarters.—The Centre—A centre is the correlative of the half-back.
1964 F. Mahovlich Ice Hockey vii. 44 Should the centre be carrying the puck, his left or right wingman should cut sharply into the goalmouth area.
1977 Irish Times 27 Oct. 4/2 Paul Rafter, playing at centre, got in for a try.
2006 J. Woodlands Netball Handbk. i. 5 A major role for the centre is to get the team off to a good start by placing the centre pass accurately time after time.
c. Cricket. The guard (guard n. 3b) taken by a batter defending the middle stump with the bat. Esp. in to take centre.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [noun] > positions
guard1843
middle1866
middle guard1871
centre1883
middle and leg1904
two-eyed stance1924
1883 Wrexham Advertiser, & N. Wales News 10 Mar. 3/4 The men who have to go through..a quarter-of-an-hour taking centre,..and out the first ball, are not the men to show good cricket.
1887 Cricket 24 Nov. 460/1 Miss Rogers..fell when taking ‘centre’.
1923 E. W. Hornung Old Offenders 250 He waited by the umpire while Chrystal took centre.
1973 B. Richards On Cricket i. 18 If you have trouble outside the off stump, take centre; if you do not, then take leg stump.
2010 Courier Mail (Austral.) (Nexis) 8 Dec. 77 Ryan Harris strode to the crease, took centre, did not offer a shot and was struck on the pads.
d. Basketball. Originally: a player positioned in the centre of the court (now disused). Later: the player who is positioned near the basket and is typically tallest on the team; the position of such a player.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > basketball > [noun] > types of player
centre1893
guard1897
ball-handler1912
rebound man1922
rebounder1926
dunker1942
point1960
point guard1969
role-player1977
tweener1978
1893 Boston Sunday Globe 19 Feb. 4/3 Following is the personnel of the team:..Centre..C. Andrews.
1949 Racine (Wisconsin) Jrnl.-Times 27 Oct. 25/5 The big Laker center was playing the game the easy way.
1970 P. Axthelm City Game iii. 28 In Christ Lake, Wisconsin, a good athlete who's six feet four will play center on the basketball team.
1999 Courier-Jrnl. (Louisville, Kentucky) 20 Feb. e3/4 Center Sharon Bellamy scored six of her 22 points during a 9–2 run.
2014 Plymouth Herald (Nexis) 24 Nov. We needed a more versatile power-forward and someone also to drop inside and play centre.
e. Association Football and Hockey. A kick or pass from either of the wings towards the middle of the pitch in front of the opponent's goal. Cf. centre v. 8.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > actions or manoeuvres
ball1483
through-pass1673
intercept1821
fielding1823
outfielding1851
wrist stroke1851
goalkeeping1856
shot1868
scrimmage1872
passing1882
save1883
touchback1884
angle shot1885
shooting1885
pass1887
line1891
tackling1893
feeding1897
centre1898
chip shot1899
glovework1906
back-lift1912
push pass1919
aerial1921
screen1921
ball-hawking1925
fast break1929
tackle1930
chip1939
screenshot1940
snapshot1961
hang time1969
one-two1969
blooter1976
passback1976
sidefoot1979
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > hockey > [noun] > types of stroke
centre1898
flick1957
push-in1970
push-back1982
1898 Durham Univ. Jrnl. 26 Nov. 168/1 Soon Robinson was seen careering up the field and getting in some beautiful centres.
1927 Daily Express 20 Apr. 13/2 Hill met with his head a glorious centre by Williams.
1967 J. Potter Foul Play vi. 79 Bob enjoyed two dramatic races down the right wing, but they came to nothing when Julian wasn't fast enough to pick up the centres.
2014 Telegraph (India) (Nexis) 13 Sept. Sonam Bhutia sent in a perfect centre from the right and Balwant leapt high to make it 3-2.
18. The filling contained in a piece of confectionery (esp. chocolate), a dessert, etc., esp. where this is of a specified kind.See also soft centre n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > confections or sweetmeats > sweets > [noun] > a sweet > centre of sweet
centre1877
1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 257/1 A core or centre of some kind is required, and this may consist either of a seed or fruit;..or it may be a small lozenge, as in the case of pan drops.
1896 Evening Herald (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 5 Dec. (advt.) We do not claim to make the cream centers that Allegretti make but we do claim to make just as good chocolate creams as any of our competitors in this state.
1935 Discovery Nov. 322/1 The centres [of the chocolates] are passed by an automatic feeding attachment through a curtain of temperature-controlled chocolate.
1998 Zest Sept. 94/1 When presented with a selection box everyone has a favourite chocolate centre.
2007 Time Out N.Y. 3 May 34/3 Try the softball-size tartufo, a globe of ice cream coated in crunchy chocolate with a candied cherry center.
19. With the and capital initial. The remote interior of Australia. Cf. Red Centre n. at red adj. and n. Compounds 1f(c)(i).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Australasia > [noun] > Australia > interior
Never-Never Country1859
outside1869
Centralia1887
centre1896
way back1901
outback1904
Dead Heart1906
Red Centre1935
1896 B. Spencer Rep. Horn Sci. Exped. Central Austral. I. 127 Though usually spoken of as the West Australian rock wallaby it is widely distributed over the Centre.
1912 W. B. Spencer & F. J. Gillen Across Austral. I. i. 5 Central Australia and the Northern Territory..consists of four distinct parts... Of these four areas the second and the third, which together occupy a large part of the Centre, may be known as the Australian Steppe lands.
1934 A. Russell Tramp-royal in Wild Austral. ix. 71 For years he had spent his time drifting about ‘the Centre’, which he probably knew as well as any man living.
1954 B. Miles Stars my Blanket xxiii. 198 I asked him if he had much trouble with scrub bulls as they do in The Centre.
2011 B. Mace in E. B. Joyce & D. A. McCann Burke & Wills v. 135/2 An explosion in the population of the native long-haired rat..following a wet season in the Centre.
20. Usually with capital initial. The place from which an espionage or terrorist network is coordinated or controlled; an organization or group exercising such control; esp. (now historical) the headquarters of the Soviet Secret Service. Sometimes without determiner.Recorded earliest in Moscow Centre n. at Moscow n. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > political police > [noun] > headquarters of an intelligence service
centre1924
station1952
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > [noun] > an organization of spies > centre of
centre1924
1924 Contemp. Rev. May 698 Two years later,..when Zinovieff had come over from Moscow to keep the German Independents under the dictation of the Moscow Centre, the final split occurred.
1963 ‘J. le Carré’ Spy who came in from Cold xv. 140 The letter..was on Centre's writing paper, with the thick red print at the top and it began ‘Dear Comrade’.
1986 G. Markstein Soul Hunters lxi. 234 Leave nothing to chance. He was..only implementing the Centre's philosophy.
2015 Pioneer (India) (Nexis) 21 Feb. Centre wants to plug all such loopholes to prevent theft or espionage.
21. Mathematics. The subset of a given group consisting of those elements which commute (commute v. 7) with every other element of the group.
ΚΠ
1934 Math. Proc. Cambr. Philos. Soc. 30 119 Any two (1, 1) isomorphic subgroups of the centre of a group are coherent.
1963 Canad. Jrnl. Math. 679 A standard result of group theory states that except in the trivial case G = 1..the centre of a finite p-group is distinct from 1.
1982 Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 272 634 This latter group is contained in the centre of G.
2008 I. M. Isaacs Finite Group Theory iv. 124 If the center of a group has small index, then the group is in some sense ‘nearly abelian’.
†III. A sharp point.
22. Astronomy. The sharp point or extremity of any of the projections which represent stars on the rete of an astrolabe. Obsolete rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > [noun] > astrolabe > centre
centrec1400
c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) i. §21. 12 Of whiche sterres the smale poynt is cleped the Centre.
c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) ii. §19. 29 Set the Sentre of the sterre vp-on the est Orisonte.
B. adj.
1. Of or relating to the centre (in various senses); situated in or at the centre; central.Sometimes hardly distinguishable from attributive uses of the noun: cf. Compounds 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [adjective]
central1631
centre1787
spinal1841
1787 I. Landmann tr. F. C. von Saldern Elements Tacticks ii. 64 As soon as the third rank of the center section [Ger. der mittelsten Abtheilung] has passed the first of the two others, the section of the right flank marches.
1791 J. Bentham Panopt. i. Postscr. 99 The center one of the 5 uppermost Cells.
1829 I. Taylor Nat. Hist. Enthusiasm ix. 219 The centre illusion of the system.
1862 Jrnl. Hort., Cottage Gardener, & Country Gentleman 31 Dec. 271/2 The three blooms which generally open first, that is, those from each outside or shoulder of the truss and the very centre one.
1879 R. K. Douglas Confucianism iv. 92 The centre figures of his philosophy.
1915 Manitoba Free Press 8 Feb. 8/4 Corded silk in a soft rose shade forms the lining, the centre section being a purse-like compartment.
1961 S. Hempstone Africa iii. 385 The centre part of the house was built by Grant.
2014 Mercury (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 3 Dec. Paramedics and police..found the two men lying in the centre lane of the highway.
2. Designating a party which advocates policies that fall between the political left and right; of or relating to such a party or its views; = centrist adj. Cf. sense A. 15.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > groups or attitudes right to left > [adjective] > centre
central1819
centre1834
centrist1874
1834 Hampshire Tel. & Sussex Chron. 17 Nov. Every day I see symptoms of the formation of a right, a left, and a centre party.
1873 Little Rock (Arkansas) Daily Republican 19 May Their successors will be moderate republicans of the left or center party.
1874 Dundee Courier & Argus 18 Dec. Kullman..described the centre faction as his party.
1960 Times 5 Dec. 11 The absence of a strong nationalist opposition..would probably induce Conservatives and centre voters to rally for safety under the Radicals.
1991 Economist 5 Oct. 125/1 As that kind of politician, he stopped the breakaway SDP becoming a bland, soggy, centre party.
2015 Stud. Law, Polit., & Society 66 141 The respondents of the other groups..expressed predominantly left or center views.

Phrases

P1. Noun phrases with of.
a.
centre of attack n. (a) the main point against which an attack is directed; also in extended use; (b) [after French centre d'attaque (1755 or earlier)] Military the middle force in an attack made on several fronts against a besieged place (now historical).
ΚΠ
1799 London Packet 31 May A building in the centre of attack was taken and retaken several times.
1800 tr. A. Berthier in Mil. Jrnl. Gen. Buonaparte 79 The battalions of gen. Destaing formed in the village they had just carried, the centre of attack facing the redoubt.
1865 J. A. Browne England's Artillerymen xvii. 263 Rotton's battery..cleared the wall for a space at the centre of attack.
1891 Detroit Free Press 19 Dec. 1/5 The center of attack would seem to be the Street Stable Car Company.
1913 H. Hersey Our Friends & our Foes of Invisible World xl. 150 The face is nearest the throat, which is the center of attack.
1973 J. T. Bledsoe Bledsoe Family vi. 87 Colonel Campbell..with Lieutenant-Colonel Shelby directed the center of attack.
2013 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 16 Oct. b5 For those who believe that much of this litigation is frivolous, the ruling in the Basic case is becoming the center of attack.
b.
centre of attention n. a person who or thing which is the focus of attention, interest, or curiosity.
ΚΠ
1903 A. H. S. Landor Across Coveted Lands I. xxix. 298 Instead of being an unobserved spectator, one is at all times the principal actor in the scene and the centre of attention.
1987 G. Turner Sea & Summer 27 I had every kid's dream of strutting it as the centre of attention.
2002 O. Figes Natasha's Dance (2003) iv. vi. 270 The centre of attention was Korovin's ‘Russian Village’, a reconstruction of the wooden architecture he had studied on a trip to the Far North.
c.
centre of attraction n. (a) Physics the point to which a body tends when subject to attraction, esp. gravitational attraction, exerted by another body; the point about which a body orbits; (b) figurative something which attracts a considerable amount of attention, interest, or curiosity; something which draws people to itself.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > force > [noun] > centripetal > point to which bodies tend
centre of attraction1654
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > force > gravity > [noun] > point to which bodies tend
centre of gravity1624
centre of attraction1654
bias1674
1654 J. Hall Of Govt. & Obed. iv. 455 As the centre of attraction governs thus in all natural motions, so doth the centre of resistance in all violent motions.
1666 Philos. Trans. 1665–6 (Royal Soc.) 1 282 Two Load-stones..will draw it [sc. a needle]..to some point between both [of them]; which point is, as to those two, the common Center of Attraction.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Centre Centre of Gravitation, or Attraction, in Physicks, is that Point to which a revolving Planet, or Comet, is impell'd.
1776 J. O. Justamond tr. G. T. F. Raynal Philos. Hist. Europeans in Indies I. 86 This happy nation must of course have been the center of attraction to all the surrounding people.
1839 D. Olmsted Introd. Astron. ii. iii. 99 A body..revolving in an orbit about a center of attraction is constantly under the influence of two forces.
1880 L. Stephen Alexander Pope iv. 88 Twickenham villa..became of course a centre of attraction for the interviewers of the day.
1958 New Scientist 16 Jan. 21/2 It is often called the escape velocity, since it is the least velocity required at that point for an object to escape for ever from the centre of attraction.
2006 Evening Chron. (Newcastle) (Nexis) 12 Jan. 18 One of Tyneside's landmark buildings will be the centre of attraction for Quaysiders this weekend.
d.
centre of balance n. †(a) something through or by means of which balance is achieved or maintained (obsolete rare); (b) the point at which a body must be supported in order to resist the force of gravity; the point through which gravity may be considered to act upon a body or system of bodies; = centre of gravity n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > statics > [noun] > equal balance of opposing forces > centre of mass or gravity
centre of gravity1633
centre1668
centre of inertia1785
centre of balance1797
centre of mass1842
centroid1844
1797 Oracle 6 Oct. 2/1 The German Empire, intermediately placed between France and the States of the Houses of Austria and Brandenburgh, serves naturally as a centre of balance between those three great powers.
1824 Sporting Mag. Jan. 195/1 Hanging his weight to the left side, so far from the centre of balance, is certainly the very thing a good buttocker, or slipper from the breast, would desire.
1934 Pop. Sci. Monthly May 121 Redistributing weights to improve the ride..passengers cradled at the center of balance.
2009 H. Freeman Meaning of Sunglasses (rev. ed.) 30 The woman's hips are back in a different postcode from her legs because all of her weight is forced forward and she is trying in vain..to find her centre of balance.
e.
centre of buoyancy n. the centre of mass of that part of a floating body which is immersed.
ΚΠ
1812 J. Playfair Outl. Nat. Philos. I. 174 It is in fact the centre of gravity of the water displaced, and were perhaps better distinguished by the name of the centre of buoyancy.
1929 Pop. Mech. Aug. 223/1 Every ship has a center of gravity and a center of buoyancy.
2012 S. Sleight Compl. Sailing Man. (rev. ed.) 200 As the boat heels, its centre of gravity remains in the same spot, but the centre of buoyancy..moves.
f.
† centre of cavity n. Obsolete = centre of buoyancy n. at Phrases 1e.
ΚΠ
1777 W. Hutchinson Treat. Pract. Seamanship 30 The centre of motion of a ship, depends upon the places of the centre of cavity and gravity.
1813 E. M. Blunt Seamanship 73 The centre of cavity varies with every inclination of the ship, because that depends upon the shape of the body immersed.
1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 104 Centre of Cavity, or of Displacement, the centre of that part of the ship's body which is immersed, and which is also the centre of the vertical force that the water exerts to support the vessel.
g.
† centre of conversion n. [after French centre de conversion ( A. Parent Élémens de méchanique et de physique (1700) 444)] Obsolete rare a point about which a body turns when a force is applied to it.
ΚΠ
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Centre of Conversion, in Mechanicks, a Term first us'd by M. Parent.
1742 J. Martyn & E. Chambers tr. Philos. Hist. & Mem. Royal Acad. Sci. Paris I. 191 The stick will be found to turn upon one of its points which will be immoveable, which M. Parent calls the centre of conversion.
h.
centre of displacement n. now rare = centre of buoyancy n. at Phrases 1e.
ΚΠ
1805 Shipwright's Vade-mecum 92 Centre of cavity, or of displacement, the centre of that part of the ship's body which is immersed in the water; and which is also the centre of vertical force that the water exerts to support the vessel.
1853 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 55 131 The centre of displacement in the Susquehanna at 18 feet 6 inches draft is 7.67 feet below the water line.
1984 Cruising World Jan. 127 The center of displacement of the boat. Its location is usually expressed in feet abaft the bow or abaft amidships or as a percentage of the waterline.
i.
centre of diversity n. the region within the geographical range of a variable species or group of species in which the greatest degree of genetic variation is exhibited, often inferred to correspond to the historical centre of origin of the species (or group of species); cf. centre of origin n. at Phrases 1t.
ΚΠ
1931 J. B. S. Haldane in Notices Proc. Royal Inst. Great Brit. 1929–31 26 366 The areas overlap in the Punjab and neighbouring hill country, and it is here that the centre of diversity of bread wheat is found.
1976 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 275 145 The African rice (O. glaberrima) has its primary centre of diversity in the swampy area of the upper Niger River.
2019 Observer (Nexis) 11 Aug. 1 Despite finding their centre of diversity in the lowland tropics of south-east Asia, there are several banana species from the northerly..edges of their range that experience significant levels of frost, and a climate on a par with that of many areas of Britain.
j.
centre of excellence n. originally U.S. an institution acknowledged for the outstanding quality of its research or other work.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > that which is important > outstanding > institution
centre of excellence1845
1845 N.Y. Herald 19 Oct. A musical academy, whose business would be to..operate as a source of taste and centre of excellence in musical matters.
1880 Mag. of Art Jan. 31/1 He was able to gather round him a body of the most eminent artists, who combined with him in making it [sc. Munich] a centre of excellence.
1968 J. M. Ziman Public Knowl. v. 92 The enormous expansion of graduate studies and scientific research..has been too rapid for this spirit to percolate from the few centres of excellence to all the institutions now engaged in the training of scientists.
2015 Mizzima Business Weekly (Nexis) 29 Jan. The establishment of agricultural centres of excellence helped to build confidence and trust among traditionally conservative farmers about what could be achieved through advanced techniques.
k.
centre of force n. the point from or towards which a central force acts; (more generally) a point through which a force can be regarded as acting.
ΚΠ
1705 H. Ditton Gen. Laws Nature & Motion ii. 126 The Area's which revolving Bodies describe (by Rays drawn to an immovable Center of Force) do lie in immovable Planes.
1786 J. Elliot Exper. & Observ. Light & Colours 86 A body must revolve in an ellipsis, having its lower focus in the centre of force.
1880 Science 17 July 33/1 An isolated molecule is an inconceivable entity, whether we try..to visualise it as a little hard spherical body, or..to regard it as a centre of force.
1989 New Scientist 7 Jan. 38 Designers minimise the distance between the two centres of force during the operation of the boat.
2012 D. W. MacDougal Newton's Gravity v. 94 The above relationship holds true for any other circular orbit around this center of force.
l.
† centre of friction n. Obsolete rare (a) the point at which the sum total of the frictional forces acting upon a system of bodies revolving around a fixed point can be considered to act; (b) the point on the base of a revolving object at which the object would lose the same amount of angular velocity due to friction were it a point mass.The sense defined in quot. 1885, which was also included in N.E.D. (1889), appears to result from a misunderstanding of sense (b).
ΚΠ
1753 London Monthly Mercury Aug. 273 (heading) A Method for determining the Centre of Friction of several Weights turning round a fixt Point.
1785 S. Vince in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 75 186 The center of friction is that point in the base of a body on which it revolves, into which if the whole surface of the base, and the mass of the body were collected..the angular velocity destroyed by its friction would be [etc.].
1793 S. Vince Plan of Course Lect. Princ. Nat. Philos. 48 Suppose the initial velocity of the center of friction P about C to be a.
1795 C. Hutton Math. & Philos. Dict. I. (citing Vince) Centre of Friction. [Also in later dictionaries.]
1885 S. Fallows Progressive Dict. Eng. Lang. Center of friction, that point on which anything turns when put in rapid and independent motion; thus the extremity of the peg round which a top spins is the center of friction.]
m.
centre of gyration n. now rare the point at which the angular velocity of a revolving or pivoting body would remain the same were that body a point mass.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > types of motion > [noun] > specific point of rotatory motion
centre of gyration1757
1757 W. Emerson Doctr. Fluxions (ed. 2) iii. xxvi. 427 By the Property of the Center of Gyration, if the whole Matter of the Earth was supposed to be collected into that Point, any Force apply'd to move it about the Center C, would generate the same angular Velocity in it..as it would do in the Earth itself.
1802 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 1037/1 The distance of the centre of gyration from the centre of the earth will be less the more the matter of the earth is accumulated towards the centre.
1865 J. Bourne Handbk. Steam-engine ii. 113 The mechanical power resident in the body would be represented by multiplying the total weight of the body by the square of the velocity of the centre of gyration.
1947 J. Singleton Man. Struct. Design (ed. 3) 160 The radius of gyration..is the normal distance from a neutral axis to the center of gyration.
n.
† centre of immersion n. Obsolete rare = centre of buoyancy n. at Phrases 1e.
ΚΠ
1797 W. Chapman Observ. Syst. Canal Navigation v. 57 According to the method of calculation pursued for upright-sided-boats of the same width of flotation line, the triangle immersed would have been .8434, and the space removed 65.55, which would raise the metacentre above the centre of immersion nearly 1/ 40 part more than true calculation, viz. 1.622 inches.
1830 P. Hedderwick Treat. Marine Archit. i. iv. 85 If we trace the position of the centre of immersion in this state, we shall find it vertical to that gravity.
o.
centre of inertia n. [after post-classical Latin centrum inertiae (1738 or earlier)] = centre of mass n. at Phrases 1r.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > statics > [noun] > equal balance of opposing forces > centre of mass or gravity
centre of gravity1633
centre1668
centre of inertia1785
centre of balance1797
centre of mass1842
centroid1844
1785 T. Parkinson Syst. Mech. ix. 161 If Q be moving and without gravity, a force applied, at G (the center of inertia) equal to the moment of Q, will destroy all motion.
1873 W. Thomson Elements Nat. Philos I. ii. 60 The Centre of Inertia or Mass is..a perfectly definite point in every body, or group of bodies. The term Centre of Gravity is often very inconveniently used for it.
1981 C. M. Marle Multiphase Flow in Porous Media vii. 217 A solid heavy body oscillating without friction around a horizontal axis O, not passing through its center of inertia G, has two positions of equilibrium.
1990 Small Boat Jrnl. Jan. 25/1 ‘I'm very keen on mid-engine installations,’ says Ellis, emphasizing the importance of the location of the center of inertia to the boat's performance.
p.
centre of learning n. an institution or place for educational, academic, or scholarly activity; a university, college, school, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > place of education > [noun] > educational institution
studya1382
school1440
learning-place1517
pedagogy1571
learning-seat1584
seminary1585
Academe1598
phrontisterion1615
phrontistery1623
pedagoguery1820
thinking-shop1837
centre of learning1844
1844 J. H. Agnew in Lect. Amer. Inst. Instruction 1843 iii. 73 No wonder these ‘people's colleges’ were filled with men of the first water. No wonder these seats and centres of learning were the resort of men of great eminence.
1854 Liverpool Mercury 31 Jan. 5/5 From that time they..lost their universities and colleges—they lost their monasteries and schools—they lost all those centres of learning.
1964 N. K. Chadwick in Celt & Saxon v. 160 These early seventh-century records, if such there were, can only have been written down in a centre of learning, which means an ecclesiastical centre.
2013 Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent) (Nexis) 29 Aug. 12 Location is a factor and those close to the centres of learning are finding tenants soon after coming onto the market.
q.
centre of magnitude n. now historical and rare the centroid of a body, esp. the earth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > point > [noun] > forming a centre
centrec1392
centre of magnitude1599
radial point1738
incentre1882
1599 T. Hill Schoole of Skil i. 41 Where this letter A. is the Center both of the earth and water, B. the Centre both of the magnitude and earth, G. A. D. the diametre of the waters, A. B. D. the diameter of the earth.
1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Delineated i. ii. 26 If this were granted, that the Center of magnitude were remoued some distance from the other; then consequently would one part of the Earth ouer-poize the other in ponderosity.
1721 J. Weaver Anat. & Mech. Lect. Dancing 97 The Center of heavy Bodies, or Center of Magnitude, is a certain Point in the middle of that Body, equally distant from its Extremities as much as possible.
1830 Mechanicks Mag. Sept. 226/1 It is a general idea, that the centre of gravity lies in the centre of magnitude; and this is true, when the body is composed of the same substance throughout.
1986 Ann. Assoc. Amer. Geographers 76 47/1 According to Buridan the center of magnitude of the earth (centrum magnitudinis) did not coincide with its center of gravity (centrum gravitatis).
r.
centre of mass n. [compare French centre de masse (1758), post-classical Latin centrum massae (1760 or earlier)] the point representing the mean position of all the mass contained by a body or system of bodies; see also centre of gravity n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > statics > [noun] > equal balance of opposing forces > centre of mass or gravity
centre of gravity1633
centre1668
centre of inertia1785
centre of balance1797
centre of mass1842
centroid1844
1842 S. Earnshaw Treat. Statics (ed. 2) vi. 67 This point is called the centre of gravity of the body or system: it is sometimes also called the centre of mass.
1879 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 168 236 These six quantities may be expressed in terms of the three velocity-components of the centre of mass of the two molecules.
1932 Pop. Mech. Sept. 443/1 The center of mass must be so disposed that the side thrust created in turning corners, presses downward on the outside wheels, thus increasing traction.
1976 M. V. Berry Pric. Cosmol. & Gravitation iii. 23 The simplest frame of reference for the location of cosmological events..is a frame at rest relative to our galaxy, or to the centre of mass of the local group of galaxies.
2010 Gettysburg (Pa.) Times 28 July c2/1 In most standing individuals, the center of mass is near the belly button.
s.
centre of motion n. now rare the point, body, or axis about which a revolving or rotating body moves; a fulcrum, pivot, or rotary joint in a mechanism or apparatus.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > kinematics > [noun] > point at rest while other points move
centre of motion1633
1633 tr. Math. Recreations xvi. 32 For the Horizontall line to the edge of the Table, is the Center of motion; and passeth by the Center of gravitie, which necessarily supporteth it.
1773 T. Hatton Introd. Clock & Watch Work i. 101 Each part of the weight or ounce is at a different distance from the centre of motion.
1827 J. Farey Treat. Steam Engine vi. 432 Two bended or elbow-levers, moving about their elbows as centres of motion.
1966 Isis 57 439 Hooke..poises the wheel in such a way that its center of motion and center of gravity are the same.
t.
centre of origin n. the geographical area in which a variable species or group of species is thought to have first acquired its distinctive characteristics, often inferred to correspond to its present-day centre of diversity; cf. centre of diversity n. at Phrases 1i.
ΚΠ
1847 tr. Rep. Zool. 1843 & 1844 (Ray Soc.) 246 Several of them [sc. ape species] may be set down as peculiar to Peru, from their attaining the maximum of frequency in this country, and being, so to speak, dispersed in different directions from it as from a common centre of origin.
2017 Diversity & Distributions 23 68/1 Agaves are considered keystone species in semi-arid to arid regions, and their geographic centre of origin is Mexico.
u.
centre of oscillation n. now rare the centre of percussion of an object (esp. a pendulum) which pivots about a point located at one of its ends.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > types of motion > [noun] > vibration or oscillation > centre of oscillation
centre of oscillation1694
1694 W. Leybourn Recreations Automatical i. 2 in Pleasure with Profit [They] found the Length to be 39 Inches, and .325 Parts, which a little exceedeth the other, and it may be was justned [i.e. adjusted] by Monsieur Hugen's Rule for the Center of Oscillation.
1748 T. Rutherforth Syst. Nat. Philos. I. 126 If we strike with the center of oscillation, there will be no danger of breaking the cane, since the whole motion of it is spent in the blow upon the obstacle.
1843 W. B. Carpenter Pop. Cycl. Nat. Sci.: Mech. Philos. ix. 213 This point is termed the centre of oscillation; and its distance from the centre of suspension is the virtual or acting length of the pendulum.
1947 Pop. Sci. Monthly Nov. 213/1 In a uniform unweighted rod, the center of oscillation is about two-thirds the distance from the point of support.
2011 L. P. Pook Understanding Pendulums iii. 29 The centre of oscillation is sometimes called the centre of percussion.
v.
centre of percussion n. the point on a pivoting object at which an obstacle to its motion would be struck with the maximum possible force; the point on a pivoting object at which an impact produces no reaction force at the pivot point.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > [noun] > kinetics > point of greatest percussion in moving body
centre of percussion1704
1704 C. Hayes Treat. Fluxions 282 (heading) To find the Center of Percussion of a Line, suspended by one Extremity, about which as a Center it is suppos'd to move.
1839 H. Moseley Illustr. Mech. v. 271 If the ball strike the mass against which it is fired at any other point than its centre of percussion, the blow will tend to tear away the axis.
1943 Pop. Sci. Monthly Oct. (Home & Workshop section) 503 A swinging bat is a compound pendulum, and its center of oscillation is also its center of percussion. This is the point of most effective drive, and the one which imparts the least jar.
2003 O. Shine Lang. Tennis 21 The most powerful spot in a racket's hitting area is the heart of the sweetspot, known as the centre of percussion.
w.
centre of pressure n. (in a body immersed in fluid) the point at which the total pressure exerted by the fluid may be supposed to act.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > force > [noun] > pressure > specific point
centre of pressure?1714
?1714 F. Hauksbee Course Exper. 13/2 This Center of Pressure is no other than the Center of Percussion or Oscillation about an Axis.
1837 A. Jamieson Mech. Fluids xii. 414 The whole force of the fluid acting at the centre of pressure must produce the equipoise.
1931 Pop. Aviation Nov. 34/2 The center of pressure of the wing..is the point at which all of the pressures on that section are supposed to act.
2003 A. P. Roberts Statics & Dynamics iv. 64 As with finding the centre of gravity, the centre of pressure is found by taking moments.
x. In various phrases with of and the name of a physical process, denoting a place or point at which that process begins; as centre of condensation, centre of crystallization, centre of ossification, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > formation of bone > [noun] > centre of ossification
centre of ossification1699
centre1790
1699 tr. de La Vauguion Compl. Body Chirurg. Operations lix. 387 This lower Angle is more remote from the Center of Ossification [Fr. centre de l'ossification], and is longer before it be converted into perfect Bone.
1793 J. Bell Anat. Bones, Muscles, & Joints i. i. 8 Then a centre of ossification begins, stretching its rays according to the length of the bone.
1845 J. Kitto Cycl. Biblical Lit. I. 481/1 In this process each of the planets..formed a distinct centre of condensation.
1850 Chemist 2 70/1 Occasionally this..action is so powerful as to fill up with spiculæ and consolidate the entire space around the centre of crystallization.
1887 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 23 July 199/2 Nowhere did this proliferation [of tissue] reach the character of an independent centre of formation.
1936 Trans. Faraday Soc. 32 207 A formic acid molecule is removed by reaction with a centre of polymerisation.
1967 Jrnl. Pediatrics 70 464/1 In patients having a chondrodystrophy..the basic development of secondary centers of ossification may be modified.
2009 J. Panfili et al. in B. S. Green et al. Trop. Fish Otoliths vii. 216 The formation of accessory growth centres, which act as new centres of crystallisation.
P2. the centre cannot hold and variants: used with allusion to the poem cited in quot. 1920 to express a sense of imminent collapse, e.g. (a) the collapse of society or the world as a whole; (b) the collapse of the prevailing political situation, esp. through widespread abandonment of moderate views in favour of extreme or highly polarized ones.Sometimes as a more extended quotation of Yeats's original poem.
ΚΠ
1920 W. B. Yeats Second Coming in Dial Nov. 466 Things fall apart; the centre can not hold, Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.]
1946 Irish Times 20 May 5/4 The listlessness which is generated by want..can erode with ease the self-respect and domestic organisation that keep a family in a reasonable condition. In other words, ‘things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.’
1978 Boundary 2 7 i. 18 What you seem to be implying..is that the early Modern poets..were sort of tragic in their recognition that the center will not hold.
2001 N.Y. Observer (Nexis) 5 Mar. 1/1 As things fall apart in Israel, the American center cannot hold. Extremists on either end become more so, and moderates are sprinting toward the edges.
2015 L. Weirather Fred Barton & Warlords' Horses of China iii. 45 The empire appeared weak and close to collapsing. The center could not hold.

Compounds

C1. General attributive. See also sense B.
centre hole n.
ΚΠ
1585 J. Blagrave Math. Iewel 4 A rule with a centrehole towards the one end to ride uppon the point A.
1671 J. Brown Descr. & Use Trianguler-quadrant v. 73 Put a Pin in the Center-hole on the Head-Leg.
1894 A. B. Gomme Trad. Games I. 141 Fox and Geese... The Fox occupies the centre hole, and the Geese occupy nine holes in front, and four on each side of him.
2003 J. Dawson & S. Propes 45 RPM x. 74 After the engineer has finished with the two single-sided lacquer masters that will be the sides of the 45, he bolts them by their small center holes into a protective Styrofoam box.
centre keel n.
ΚΠ
1822 W. Annesley New Syst. Naval Archit. 36 A vessel..thus built, having an ordinary depth of centre keel,..aided by side keels of proportioned depth and length, would carry sail with a swept hold.
1909 Westm. Gaz. 7 Aug. 2/2 Close inshore a fleet of racing dinghies..spun round like tops upon their centre-keels.
1998 B. Roberts-Goodson Choosing for Cruising ii. 38 Similar hulls were fitted with twin keels, centre keels and centre boards and sailed together.
centre light n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > [noun] > lamp > in a specific place or position
side lamp1780
centre light1821
hall-lamp1834
headlamp1879
1821 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 3 171 The centre-light in Drury-lane theatre, passing through an immense number of cut glass lamps, arranged with great taste and elegance, resembles the light of a mid-day sun in splendour, and is too dazzling to look on.
1966 G. Greene Comedians i. iii. 94 I found Marcel hanging from his own belt from the centre-light.
2011 J. B. Richards et al. in M. T. Bardo et al. Inhibitory Control & Drug Abuse Prevention ii. 21 Each trial begins with the chamber's center light illuminated.
centre mark n.
ΚΠ
1684 P. Ker Flosculum Poeticum 3 I bent my Soul, and shot my Wit, Thinking this Center-Mark to hit.
?1792 J. Barrow Descr. Cases Math. Drawing Instruments 25 Place the center-mark of the protractor upon the point A.
1895 J. Fehrenbatch Libr. Steam Engin. (1900) 735 Find the center between the two marks on the guide on that side and place a center mark there.
1933 P. Godfrey Back-stage i. 15 He examines these things for himself before returning to his position on the down-stage centre mark.
centre pin n.
ΚΠ
1597 W. Barlow Navigator's Supply sig. C4 The round voide space in the middle of the Horizontall, must be filled vp with the Centre-pinne thereof.
1804 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 12 202 The blades may be made to slide on both sides of the shank, proportioning the distance between the centre-pin and blade..to the diameter of the largest saw.
2004 P. Sweeney Gunsmithing (ed. 2) iv. 70/2 Pull the center pin out, remove the cylinder, and look at the locking bolt.
centre pinion n. [pinion n.4 a]
ΚΠ
1767 J. Harrison Princ. Time-keeper 29 Fig. 14..c the Centre-pinion.
1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 144 The centre pinion and great wheel need not be considered in connection with the rest of the train.
2011 G. Daniels Watchmaking (rev. ed.) v. 114 Since the centre pinion turns once per hour it will turn twenty-four times in a day.
centre plate n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > railway wagon or carriage > other parts
centre plate1717
bumper1838
running-board1858
bonnet1889
bull bar1891
possum belly1904
tailgate1909
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine tool > lathe > [noun] > part holding work
mandrel1664
chock1665
pike1680
centre plate1717
carrier1733
chuck1806
screw chuck1827
grip-knob1833
faceplate1837
surface chuck1842
jaw-chuck1874
turning-carrier1877
screw worm chuck1881
steady1885
roller steady1911
1717 W. Vream Descr. Air-pump 20 Plate 3. Fig. 25. represents the Brass Springs with the Flint fix'd to them, and the Hole to screw in the Center Plate for the Spindle to turn upon.
1852 Sci. Amer. 27 Nov. 83/3 There is but one correct position for the centre-plate or saddle, and that is exactly in the centre-line of the engine, and also in the centre-line of the truck.
1925 Motorboating Dec. 86/2 The center plate is hoisted and lowered by means of a small purchase of double and single brass blocks.
1989 U.S. Patent 4,836,452 5 Oil level sight plug 84, having a transparent center plate, is used for indicating the oil level in oil bath 14.
2011 J. Miller & M. Stacey Driving Instructor's Handbk. (ed. 17) viii. 225 The clutch consists of three main parts: a release bearing, a spring-loaded pressure plate and a centre plate.
centre point n.
ΚΠ
1561 R. Eden tr. M. Cortés Arte Nauigation iii. v. sig. I.iv From the center poynt (called the pole) cometh forth a moueable Meridian.
1648 Bp. J. Hall Select Thoughts 74 What a meer Center-point the Earth is, in comparison of the vast circumference of Heaven.
1797 Monthly Mag. 3 383 The Retrogradatory Machine consists of an axle, suspended horizontally on its centre points [etc.].
1877 R. L. Stevenson in Cornhill Mag. Feb. 215 That state in which another person becomes to us the very gist and centrepoint of God's creation.
1912 Y. Hirn Sacred Shrine viii. 149 In the upper half, which represents heaven, the centre point is occupied by the Saviour.
2000 Struct. Engineer 1 Feb. 38/3 Having a centre point through which all information is passed can not only help with revision control but also provide timesavings.
centre truth n.
ΚΠ
1828 D. Wilson Evid. Christianity I. viii. 292 Tell me whether any kind of evidence can..be more distinct and clear—whether..its parts can converge in a centre-truth of more sublimity and grace.
1907 J. A. Kern Idea of Church i. ii. 23 The center-truth of the Kingdom..was now to be unveiled in the Sacrifice of the Cross.
2013 R. Gregory You are Already There 146 There are many who are drawn to religion for the social side..but then there are those who are hungry for the centre truth.
C2. Locative, with the sense ‘in or at the centre’.
ΚΠ
1853 Mechanics' Mag. 20 Aug. 146/1 To try further experiments with this principle of centre-balanced surface.
1897 R. C. Lehmann Rowing iv. 61 Nearly all Fours and Pairs in England are now centre-seated, as are Eights in America.
1944 J. Millar in R. Greenhalgh Pract. Builder iv. 183/2 Slates can either be head-nailed or centre-nailed; the latter method is usually adopted as being a better protection against strong winds.
1969 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Spring–Summer 12 This automatic garage door opener... Boasts permanently lubricated ¼-HP motor with center-mounted T-rail chain drive.
1998 Esquire Mar. 129/2 Djordje asks you whether you'd like a center-vented, side-vented, or ventless coat.
2010 S. L. Herman Industr. Motor Control (ed. 6) lxi. 495/2 A 24 volt, center-tapped transformer is used to isolate the gate circuit from the anode circuit.
C3.
centre arbor n. a spindle that is centrally situated as a part of a mechanism, esp. that used in clocks and watches to carry the minute hand; cf. centre wheel n.
ΚΠ
1811 Encycl. Londinensis (new ed.) X. 337/2 The first wheel being placed on the centre or hour arbor that carries the minutes-hand.
1922 Pop. Sci. Monthly Dec. 36/1 The tool consists of a center arbor of cast aluminium on the circumference of which four honing stones of fine grain are radially mounted.
2009 B. Jobe et al. Harbor & Home 261/1 It displays the year in the center of the lunette; the day of the month, which is read on a small dial just above the center arbor; and the movements of the sun and moon.
centre attack n. Military (now chiefly historical) (a) an attack mounted on the main body of an armed force or the main point of their defences; (also) the main point at which an attack is directed (cf. centre of attack n. (a) at Phrases 1a); (b) the middle force in an attack made on several fronts against an enemy force (cf. centre of attack n. (b) at Phrases 1a).
ΚΠ
1693 E. D'Auvergne Hist. Last Campagne Spanish Netherlands 42 The Walloons with my Lord Castleton's Regiment had the Van upon the Right, and my Lord of Argyle in the Center Attack.
1756 Full Acct. Siege of Minorca 43 The Prince de Beauveau, with two Brigades, was charged with the Center Attack, against the Western Redoubt and Caroline's Lunette.
1792 European Mag. 22 61/1 By this time the firing at the center attack had entirely ceased.
1803 R. C. Wellesley Notes Relative to Late Trans. in Marhatta Empire 56 The centre attack under Lieutenant Colonel Wallace..moved on and placed the ladders against a Bastion.
1865 Rep. Joint Comm. Conduct of War (U.S. Senate) 38th Congr., 2nd Sess. 345 I changed my plans so far as to take two of General French's divisions..and send them over to General Warren..and abandoned my centre attack.
1953 W. S. Churchill Second World War (1985) VI. xxxi. 456 That same day [sc. 14 April 1945] the Fifth Army began the centre attack.
1973 H. Green Guide to Battlefields Brit. & Ireland 91 On the left a breach was made near Sopwell Lane, while the main centre attack advanced up both sides of Victoria Street.
2012 J. M. Brewer Millwood Village, LC ix. The German centre attack was again stopped; their flanks were trying to move past us.
centre back n. Football and Hockey a player occupying a central defensive position; the position occupied by such a player.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions
wing-back1734
goalkeeper1789
outfielder1855
quarter1857
centre fielder1865
outfield1867
quarterback1867
right1867
centre1868
left wing1871
left-back1873
left half-back1873
centre forward1874
left-centre1877
right-centre1877
centre back1878
centre half-back1879
forward1879
back1880
right wing1880
right half-back1881
goaltender1882
right-winger1882
wing1882
centre half1884
left winger1884
inside1886
half1887
custodian1888
left half1888
midfielder1888
left wing1889
right half1889
centreman1890
midfield1890
outside right1890
outfieldsman1891
goalie1894
winger1896
infield1897
inside forward1897
inside right1897
outside forward1897
outside1898
outside left1900
rearguard1904
pivot1911
wing-man1942
keeper1957
link1958
linkman1963
midfield1976
1878 Notts. Guardian 6 Dec. Suppl. 4/6 Players—..Trent:..E. Corfield (centre back).
1906 St. Thomas's Hosp. Gaz. Mar. 83 Gemmell..was playing a great game at centre back.
1991 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant (Nexis) 11 Sept. (Sports section) f6 She can play anything from forward to center back.
2000 Times 7 Aug. (Sport Monday section) 8/2 Your team must be in a 4–4–2 formation, with one goalkeeper; two full-backs; two centre-backs; four midfielders; two forwards.
centre bully n. Hockey now (historical) a bully (bully n.2 2) taken in the centre of the field at the start or restart of play.The centre bully was replaced by a pass back from the centre of the field in 1984.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > hockey > [noun] > bully-off or hit-off
bully1883
hit off1893
centre bully1897
1897 Liverpool Mercury 20 Dec. 5/7 The ball was put over the side line from the centre bully.
1910 Westm. Gaz. 1 Mar. 16/2 From the centre-bully Cambridge again pressed.
2010 M. Nolan Bobby Blanchard xi. 94 Kayo had won the center bully, and for the first time that day the ball was in Holy Martyr territory.
centre chief n. Heraldry (also more fully centre chief point) the point on an escutcheon which lies in the centre of the chief (chief n. 3), directly above the honour point.Also (now less commonly) referred to as the middle chief (see middle chief n. at middle adj. and n. Compounds 1a).
ΚΠ
1780 J. Edmondson Compl. Body Heraldry I. sig. ggggv Deaneries in England and Wales... Winchester.—Arms... In the center chief point, the letter R of the third.
1833 J. Burke Geneal. & Heraldic Hist. Commoners Great Brit. & Irel. I. 510/1 In the centre chief a martlet arg. for difference, for Nairn of Seggieden.
1954 Illustr. London News 6 Feb. 180 (caption) Over all, in the centre chief point, on an escutcheon argent, the cross of St. George surmounted by another escutcheon azure.
1994 J. H. Pinches European Nobility & Heraldry 203 It is placed in the dexter chief corner. If that is not available, then placed in centre chief or nearest available position.
centre chisel n. now rare a cold chisel terminating in a point, originally used to mark the centre of a hole that is to be drilled; cf. centre punch n.
ΚΠ
1872 Railroad Gaz. 16 Mar. 117/1 The holes should be chipped under with a center chisel in several places in order to hold the babbitt well.
1913 Amer. Marine Engineer July 38/1 Mr. Conklin was lying on his back..trying to fish it [sc. a set screw] out with a center chisel and hammer.
1960 Use & Care Handtools & Measuring Tools (U.S. Dept. of Army) iv. 143/1 When roundnose chisels are used to bring drilled holes, just started, concentric with the laid out drilling circles, they are called center chisels.
centre chuck n. (on a lathe) a chuck (chuck n.4 4) equipped with a centre (sense A. 8).
ΚΠ
1809 W. Nicholson Brit. Encycl. VI. at Turning When work is to be turned between centres by the foot-lathe, a centre-chuck, or steel-piece, carrying a projecting point, is screwed on the nose of the mandrel.
1890 U.S. Patent 431,525 2/1 The mandrel, then being rotated by its handle, is carried forward, so as to force the center chuck into the end of the stick.
2004 M. R. Miller & R. Miller Carpenters & Builders Millwork, Power Tools, & Painting (ed. 7) vii. 150 Lathe attachments..consist of several tools or accessories necessary to perform the work properly. They are lathe centers, drivers, screw chucks, center chucks, and faceplates.
Centre Court n. Tennis a large centrally located tennis court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, generally used as the venue for the most popular matches of the Wimbledon Championships (now often without determiner).
ΚΠ
1883 Observer 8 July 2/3 By half-past three o'clock..there was already a considerable group of spectators assembled round the centre court.
1921 Amer. Lawn Tennis 15 Oct. 471/3 I..doubt she will ever have such a fine court to play on as the centre court at Wimbledon this year.
1975 Jet 24 July 45/2 It was a stirring sight to see Ashe standing at Centre Court.
2009 Independent (Nexis) 22 Apr. 52 On the day..the All England Club showed off its new retractable roof over Wimbledon's Centre Court, the sun beat down.
centre drill n. a drill or drill bit designed for drilling holes suited to accepting the centre of a lathe.
ΚΠ
1849 J. Weale Rudim. Dict. Terms Archit. 91/2 Centre-drill, a small drill used for making a short hole in the ends of a shaft about to be turned, for the entrance of the lathe centres.
1915 Pop. Mech. Sept. 459/2 The center drill is held in the tailstock and is fed toward the end of the work.
2005 RCM & E (Radio Control Models & Electronics) Apr. 108/1 Another way is to use anything conical that will fit in the drill chuck, like a small centre or even a centre drill.
centre field n. Baseball the part of the outfield beyond second base and between right field and left field; the position of a centre fielder; a player fielding in this position.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > baseball > baseball player > [noun] > fielder or baseman
centre field1835
short stopc1837
base player1842
outfielder1855
short1856
short field1856
baseman1857
left field1857
right field1857
short fielder1857
third baseman1857
right fielder1860
centre1866
infielder1867
scout1870
relayer1910
sacker1914
first base1959
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > baseball > baseball ground > [noun] > outfield
centre field1835
left field1857
left1867
garden1868
backfield1911
outside1913
1835 Daily Evening News (Jeffersonville, Indiana) 26 Sept. Jackson played a very poor game at center field, and caused the defeat of his club.
1948 Miami (Okla.) Daily News-Record 4 July 4/4 For sensational catches in centerfield you can't beat him.
2014 Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota) (Nexis) 3 Sept. Denard Span, although he was a really, really good center field, was more amazing in right field.
centre fielder n. Baseball a fielder positioned in centre field.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions
wing-back1734
goalkeeper1789
outfielder1855
quarter1857
centre fielder1865
outfield1867
quarterback1867
right1867
centre1868
left wing1871
left-back1873
left half-back1873
centre forward1874
left-centre1877
right-centre1877
centre back1878
centre half-back1879
forward1879
back1880
right wing1880
right half-back1881
goaltender1882
right-winger1882
wing1882
centre half1884
left winger1884
inside1886
half1887
custodian1888
left half1888
midfielder1888
left wing1889
right half1889
centreman1890
midfield1890
outside right1890
outfieldsman1891
goalie1894
winger1896
infield1897
inside forward1897
inside right1897
outside forward1897
outside1898
outside left1900
rearguard1904
pivot1911
wing-man1942
keeper1957
link1958
linkman1963
midfield1976
1865 Field, Turf, Farm 12 Aug. 21/3 The absence of their centre fielder weakened their nine considerably in this match.
1915 R. H. Barbour Lucky Seventh xii. 137 Jack turned third and streaked for the plate. The center fielder, however, had come in fast and now the ball was flying to the catcher.
2012 Plymouth Herald (Nexis) 12 July 50 An injury to the Barons centre fielder..in the third inning saw their game begin to falter.
† centre fish n. Obsolete rare a limpet or barnacle.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Gastropoda > [noun] > superorder Branchifera > order Prosobranchiata > section Holostomata > limpet > member of superfamily Patellacea
limpetc1050
limpin1585
centre fish1668
pap shell1678
flidder1769
1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. ii. v. §2. 130 Univalvs; having but one Shell..being unmoved..1 Limpet, Center fish.
1757 T. Birch Hist. Royal Soc. III. 75 Sir Robert Moray presented a centre fish-petrified.
1857 Leisure Hour 22 Oct. 676/1 A dish of oysters and Pelorian mussels with sauce, black and white centre fish.
centre forward n. Football and Hockey a player occupying a central attacking position; the position occupied by such a player.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions
wing-back1734
goalkeeper1789
outfielder1855
quarter1857
centre fielder1865
outfield1867
quarterback1867
right1867
centre1868
left wing1871
left-back1873
left half-back1873
centre forward1874
left-centre1877
right-centre1877
centre back1878
centre half-back1879
forward1879
back1880
right wing1880
right half-back1881
goaltender1882
right-winger1882
wing1882
centre half1884
left winger1884
inside1886
half1887
custodian1888
left half1888
midfielder1888
left wing1889
right half1889
centreman1890
midfield1890
outside right1890
outfieldsman1891
goalie1894
winger1896
infield1897
inside forward1897
inside right1897
outside forward1897
outside1898
outside left1900
rearguard1904
pivot1911
wing-man1942
keeper1957
link1958
linkman1963
midfield1976
1874 Sporting Gaz. 26 Dec. 1214/2 Lieutenant J. O. Barker (centre forward).
1963 B. Glanville in M. Sissons & P. French Age of Austerity vii. 154 Gunnar Nordahl, the dark and burly Norkopping [sic] centre-forward, was as mobile a player as Lawton.
2009 Waterford News & Star (Nexis) 24 Nov. The O'Connors..are likely to operate in attack with Jerry at centre forward.
centre half n. Football and Hockey a player occupying a central position in the middle of the half-back line; the position occupied by such a player; (now usually more loosely) = centre back n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions
wing-back1734
goalkeeper1789
outfielder1855
quarter1857
centre fielder1865
outfield1867
quarterback1867
right1867
centre1868
left wing1871
left-back1873
left half-back1873
centre forward1874
left-centre1877
right-centre1877
centre back1878
centre half-back1879
forward1879
back1880
right wing1880
right half-back1881
goaltender1882
right-winger1882
wing1882
centre half1884
left winger1884
inside1886
half1887
custodian1888
left half1888
midfielder1888
left wing1889
right half1889
centreman1890
midfield1890
outside right1890
outfieldsman1891
goalie1894
winger1896
infield1897
inside forward1897
inside right1897
outside forward1897
outside1898
outside left1900
rearguard1904
pivot1911
wing-man1942
keeper1957
link1958
linkman1963
midfield1976
1884 Hull Packet & E. Riding Times 18 Apr. 7/5 Franklin at centre half, playing a splendid game.
1920 E. H. Green Hockey iv. 38 More work falls on the centre half than to the other two put together.
2001 Times 29 Mar. i. 40/7 A raw back four including two 22-year-old centre halves.
2012 FourFourTwo Mar. 72/3 He's a big example to most aspiring centre-halves out there.
centre half-back n. Football and Hockey (now chiefly in Gaelic football and Australian Rules football) = centre half n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions
wing-back1734
goalkeeper1789
outfielder1855
quarter1857
centre fielder1865
outfield1867
quarterback1867
right1867
centre1868
left wing1871
left-back1873
left half-back1873
centre forward1874
left-centre1877
right-centre1877
centre back1878
centre half-back1879
forward1879
back1880
right wing1880
right half-back1881
goaltender1882
right-winger1882
wing1882
centre half1884
left winger1884
inside1886
half1887
custodian1888
left half1888
midfielder1888
left wing1889
right half1889
centreman1890
midfield1890
outside right1890
outfieldsman1891
goalie1894
winger1896
infield1897
inside forward1897
inside right1897
outside forward1897
outside1898
outside left1900
rearguard1904
pivot1911
wing-man1942
keeper1957
link1958
linkman1963
midfield1976
1879 Notts. Guardian 3 Oct. Suppl. J. Neep, Exchange (centre half-back).
1969 Melbourne Truth 12 July 23/2 I prefer Peter Steward at centre half-back.
2001 M. Breheny & D. Keenan Ultimate Encycl. Gaelic Football & Hurling 38/4 The switch of Eamonn Cregan from the attack to centre half-back for the final was regarded as one of the main reasons why Limerick won the final.
centre half-forward n. Australian Rules Football a player occupying a central position in the middle of the half-forward line; the position occupied by such player.
ΚΠ
1888 S. Austral. Reg. (Adelaide) 6 July 7/1 The following nineteen men will comprise the English team on Saturday..centre half forward, Haslam; [etc.]
1963 L. Richards Boots & All! 158 Big centre-half-forward Ray ‘Joe’ Poulter was another character.
2015 Herald Sun (Melbourne) (Nexis) 4 Feb. (Sport section) 75 Waitey's got a massive engine; he's probably one of the fittest centre half-forwards going around.
centre ice n. originally Canadian a central position on an ice rink; esp. (a) Curling the central portion of the playing area; (b) Ice Hockey the precise centre of a hockey rink where face-offs take place at the start of each period.
ΚΠ
1886 Manitoba Daily Free Press 29 Nov. The rinks of the president and vice-president were pitted against each other on the centre ice.
1894 Manitoba Morning Free Press 8 Jan. 5/1 Grassie got hold of the puck, and by a splendid bit of play got up centre ice and passed to McDonald.
1895 Glasgow Herald 9 Jan. 9/4 Oh! for a gaird! Creep doon centre ice: we'll soop ye!
1904 Manitoba Morning Free Press 13 Jan. 4/5 The centre ice will be reserved for those in costume, and others will use the regular skating sheet.
1964 F. Mahovlich Ice Hockey i. 15 A defender may pass the puck from behind his own blueline to any team mate..not beyond the centre-ice red line.
1982 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 18 Mar. An exposed Scottish stone..that had backing from another Scottish stone on the left side of centre ice.
2001 J. Atkinson Ice Time (2002) iv. 50 After five minutes, Coach Robillard calls the players to center ice.
centre lathe n. a lathe in which a work is supported and turned between two centres (sense A. 8) as it is worked.
ΚΠ
1813 ‘T. Martin’ Circle Mech. Arts 549/2 The common centre lathe becomes a powerful machine, when worked by means of a large wheel, turned by one or more labourers.
1912 Times 13 Nov. 27/4 The 4in. centre lathe shown is well adapted to the requirements of small car owners.
2004 D. MacDonald Pract. Machine Safety i. 14 One of the most widely used of all machine tools, the center lathe presents some basic hazards.
centre-left n. and adj. (also with capital initials) Politics (a) n. (frequently with the) a section of a government, political party, or other group which holds views somewhat to the left of the political centre; (b) adj. holding or characterized by such views; moderately left-wing.The use originates with the seating positions of the 1789 French National Assembly: see sense A. 15.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > groups or attitudes right to left > [noun]
centre-left1822
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > groups or attitudes right to left > [adjective]
centre-left1822
1822 New Times 7 Jan. A part of the centre left voted on neither side.
1870 Observer 15 May 6 Several Deputies of the Left and Centre Left have written to M. Schneider requesting the convocation of the Corps Legislatif on Monday next at the latest.
1955 N.Y. Times 13 Nov. 13/1 They are unwilling to form alliances to the Right for fear of losing their technical standing as a Center-Left party.
1996 J. Fitzmaurice Politics Belgium ii. 77 The new social measures introduced by the new centre-left coalition were quite modest.
2006 Sydney Morning Herald 8 Apr. 21 Some of the workers with the greatest privileges..are the centre-left's strongest supporters.
centre midfield n. Sport (chiefly Association Football) (a) the position of a midfielder who typically plays down the centre of the pitch; (b) (frequently with plural agreement) a team's central midfielders collectively, the central section of a team's midfield formation (cf. midfield n. 3b).
ΚΠ
1964 Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Mass.) 17 Apr. 23/3 He is Pete McCabe of Hartford, Conn., who played center midfield.
1974 Irish Times 18 Sept. 3/1 Their captain Cobi Cuhn is a very hard centre-midfield player.
1998 Princeton Alumni Weekly 4 Nov. 33/1 The team has missed the presence of Amy MacFarlane '98 in the center midfield.
2004 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 27 Sept. (Sport section) 2 A three-man centre midfield outnumbered their hosts, working very hard to keep Johnson supplied.
2015 B. Spencer Dangerous Game xi. 102 Then Omar, the eldest of the boys..he'll play centre midfield, with Majuud on the left wing.
centre midfielder n. Sport (chiefly Association Football) a player who plays in the position of centre midfield.
ΚΠ
1959 N.Y. Times 18 May 36/3 Other players who have been mainstays of the squad include..Artie Rogers, an outstanding center midfielder, and Demi Gibson, another midfielder.
1979 Washington Post (Nexis) 24 May g1 Rene Breevoort, starting in place of injured center midfielder Jim Steele, slipped his first goal of the year past Keelan.
1988 Irish Times 14 Nov. 4 Alexandra centre midfielder Fiona Marshall played yet another top-class game.
2011 Birmingham Evening Mail (Nexis) 18 Oct. 45 He's not good at football. He is not a winger. He is not an attacking centre-midfielder.
centre-page adj. that is printed in the middle pages of a newspaper, magazine, etc., esp. as a photo spread or a featured article.
ΚΠ
1874 N.Y. Evening Mail 28 Oct. 1/4 Mr. John A. Mitchell..has drawn also some of the most charming bits imaginable for centre-page titles.
1896 Editor Apr. 145 $10 for suitable ideas for center-page cartoons or center-page illustrations, and $5 for suitable ideas for full-page pictures.
1946 Happy Landings July 1/1 Outstanding in this issue..is the centre-page article.
1972 D. Lees Zodiac 7 Get a centre page spread with pictures.
1999 Angling Times 16 June 6/1 Our centrepage special report on what must rank as Britain's best day-ticket Dream lake, produced a simply stunning catch.
2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Nexis) 31 Dec. 29 Had I been allowed I would have probably issued the image as a special centre page pull-out poster.
centre pawn n. a pawn on the king's or queen's file; = central pawn n. at central adj. Compounds.
ΚΠ
1750 ‘A. D. Philidor’ Chess Analysed 43 If you have two Pawns in the Centre, your Aim must be, to unite as many to it as possible; having already observed that the Centre-Pawns are by much the best and the strongest.
1837 Philidorian Dec. 6 White's centre Pawns are admirably planted, and contrast strongly with those of the Black.
1919 Amer. Chess Bull. Dec. 265/2 Black's aim is to clear the way for his two center pawns.
2015 Independent (Nexis) 4 Mar. 42 White has a queenside majority, but Black an extra centre pawn.
centre pivot adj. and n. (a) adj.(attributive) designating a method of crop irrigation in which a long wheel-mounted pipe with downward-facing sprinklers along its length slowly rotates around a central well, watering a circular area typically half a mile in diameter; making use of this method; (b) n. an irrigation unit or system which makes use of this method.
ΚΠ
1968 Beatrice (Nebraska) Daily Sun 7 June 5/5 Center pivot self-propelled systems consist of a sprinkler line suspended well above the ground on some type of wheel unit.
1991 Economist 2 Nov. 22/3 Nebraska is the birthplace of centre-pivot irrigation—quarter-mile-long sprinklers that turn in slow circles.
2006 V. Smil Transforming 20th Cent. iv. 146 By the early 1990s the country had about 110,000 center pivots irrigating nearly 6 Mha.
2015 Marlborough Express (Blenheim, N.Z.) (Nexis) 27 Jan. (News section) 6 Moving to highly efficient modern irrigation systems like centre pivots is a responsible move by the irrigation industry.
centre punch n. a tool (typically consisting of a long, slender rod with a conical tip) for marking the centre of a hole that is to be drilled, or (more generally) for making an indentation in the surface of an object.
ΚΠ
1825 Amer. Mechanics' Mag. 30 Apr. 200/2 Mr. Le Gros..exhibited a pane of common window glass perforated completely through..without the glass being, as it is technically called, starred; he assured us it was done with a center punch, and hammer on an anvil.
1923 Pop. Sci. Monthly Dec. 82/3 Center punches..should be long and slender at the pointed end so that they will not obstruct the view of the lines that are being punched.
2000 Model Railroader Feb. 82/2 Use a scribe and center punch to mark and start holes.
centre rail n. a rail or strut that is located centrally in relation to other components of the device or apparatus of which it is a part; (in a railway or tramway system) a third rail located between the other two rails.In early railway systems a central rail was often used to provide a means of gaining additional traction for use in the ascent and descent of steep inclines.
ΚΠ
1825 London Jrnl. Arts & Sci. 9 188 Every key of an upright piano-forte..is to be furnished with the mechanism here shewn; a is the key supported, and vibrating upon the centre rail, as usual, with a pin passing through it.
1832 Amer. Railroad Jrnl. 6 Oct. 641 You may place a stationary cogged wheel on the centre of the axle, to receive the cogged segment on the centre rail.
1907 Pop. Mech. June 655/2 If desired the center rail can also be used as an electric third rail.
2013 M. Griffiths Woodworking in Weekend 118 One more part is needed to keep the table rigid, and that is its center rail that runs between and connects the two X-frames.
centre-right n. and adj. (also with capital initials) Politics (a) n. (frequently with the) a section of a government, political party, or other group which holds views somewhat to the right of the political centre; (b) adj. holding or characterized by such views; moderately right-wing.The use originates with the seating positions of the 1789 French National Assembly: see sense A. 15. Cf. also right-centre n. 2, right-centre adj. 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > groups or attitudes right to left > [noun] > the right
centre-right1822
right1822
right wing1841
Christian Right1947
New Right1966
alt-right2009
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > groups or attitudes right to left > [adjective] > right
illiberal1649
white?1740
right1794
conservative1802
centre-right1822
agricolous1825
hunkerish1857
right wing1857
rightward1887
rightist1894
rightwards1931
right-of-centre1937
establishmentarian1962
righty1970
neo-con1979
New Rightist1981
1822 New Times 30 Jan. The centre right and the right presented a compact mass.
1872 Scotsman 18 Mar. 5 The Centre Right resolved to support the bill of M. Lefranc in the amended form.
1955 Observer 4 Dec. 4 The Centre-Right group, represented in the present Faure coalition, face the challenge in marching order, whereas the Radicals and Socialists are in total disarray.
1987 C. Phillips European Tribe vii. 61 As Mitterrand's Socialist Government becomes increasingly unpopular, and the center right begins to splinter into inter-factional disarray, the National Front is gradually filling a gap in French politics.
2012 New Yorker 2 July 42/1 The PAN is often described as center-right, the PRI as center-left.
† centre saw n. U.S. Obsolete a machine for sawing along the length and to the centre of a log or other cylindrical body of wood, consisting of a circular saw and a mount for lowering the wood on to the saw during operation.
ΚΠ
1871 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Daily Gaz. 29 Aug. The center saw lately invented by T. J. Tolan..has been in operation for the last week at the Hub and Spoke Factory.
a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. I. 513/2 Center-saw, a machine for splitting round timber into bolts, instead of riving it, for axe and pick handles, heavy spokes, etc.
centre school n. U.S. a school serving a particular centre or neighbourhood; cf. sense A. 12b.In later use only as the proper name of various schools, or in historical contexts.
ΚΠ
1796 Fleets Pocket Almanack for 1797 45 Samuel Hunt, Latin Grammar Master, Centre School.
1860 J. G. Holland Miss Gilbert's Career vii. 125 A fit person to take charge of the centre school.
1927 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant 17 Oct. 6/6 The Center School of Glastonbury is carrying on a complete health program this year.
2003 R. Kollen Lexington, Mass. 38 An 1821 town meeting voted to move the center school to the Massachusetts Avenue location.
centre second n. (in a watch or clock) a second hand mounted on the centre arbor (more fully centre second hand); (in plural) the fact of indicating seconds with such a hand on a particular watch or clock.
ΚΠ
1801 Jrnl. Nat. Philos., Chem., & Arts May 58 A watch with center seconds, the common Verge Escapement, and having a thermometer, or compensation piece.
1826 T. Reid Treat. Clock & Watch Making ii. 30 A center seconds watch whose train was 14400, which is by far too slow for a pocket watch.
1869 Engineering 12 Mar. 176/1 It is said that this is the largest clock in the world having a centre-second hand.
1918 Tatler 8 May 163 The New Shape 8-day Folding Clock, with Centre Seconds.
1985 Islands Feb. 93/2 (advt.) Quartz accuracy plus a convenient instant setting day/date bilingual English/Spanish calendar and a center second hand.
2008 D. Judy Watches 29 (caption) Agassiz Watch Co., circa 1920, 21J 43mm nickel case, power reserve indicator, center seconds stop/start feature.
† centre split n. Obsolete (in leather production) the middle layer of a skin split into three layers (cf. split n.1 2c), used to make cheap, poor-quality footwear.
ΚΠ
1886 Daily News 15 Oct. 5/6 The lowest quality of men's boots..are made of ‘centre splits’. Good, honest hides..are skilfully split into three skins, and the centre one, having no grain, and being of a soft, flimsy substance, is nevertheless capable of being made to assume the guise of serviceable leather.
1902 Chambers's Jrnl. Jan. 787/2 The uppers are made of what are known as ‘centre splits’, and the soles are an artificial compound of leather waste. The ‘centre splits’ are very ingenious forms of shoddy.
centre spread n. the two facing middle pages of a newspaper, magazine, etc.; an article printed on these pages.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > journalism > journal > parts and layout of journals > [noun] > centre spread
centre spread1910
centrefold1941
1910 Bankers Mag. May 816/2 A double-page ‘center-spread’ advertisement.
1940 G. Butler Kiss Blood off Hands xi. 201 I turned the paper open at the centre spread, where they put the next most important news.
2014 Paisley Daily Express (Nexis) 6 Dec. 12 Each month a collection of the best entries from the previous four weeks will feature in a centre spread.
centre square n. (a) the principal square (square n. 12a) in the centre of a city, town, etc.; (b) an instrument for locating the centre of a circle or circular object.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for marking out work > [noun] > squares
squarea1300
trying-square1579
mitre square1676
mitre1678
centre square1683
box square?1710
square rule1726
T square1785
set square1854
try-square1877
1683 Short Advt. Scituation & Extent Philadelphia in W. Penn Let. Free Soc. Traders 13/3 The High-street-Lots begin at Number 44 and so proceed on both sides of that Street to the Center Square.
1781 S. Peters Gen. Hist. Connecticut 209 The church and two meetings stand on the center square.
1852 U.S. Patent 9,089 28 Dec. A new and useful instrument, called the center-square, for finding immediately the center of any circle or the end of any cylindrical body.
1947 Christian Sci. Monitor 24 Mar. 12/5 We bought gas..in the beautiful center square we found on entering Ibarra.
1987 D. Willacy Craft & Design in Wood (new ed.) 149/1 One method of finding the centre of a bar is to use a centre square.
2014 Evening Gaz. (Middlesbrough) (Nexis) 11 Apr. 34 An array of activities took place..including..Camilla's visit to the Centre Square where the Duchess..met 500 school pupils.
centre table n. now chiefly historical (originally) any table placed in the centre of a room; (later also) a table intended to be so placed, esp. one designed specifically to form a prominent or striking central feature (as by being used to display books, albums, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > other tables
dormant tablec1405
set board1512
chair-table1558
oyster table1559
brushing-table1575
stand board1580
table-chair1671
reading table1749
worktable1762
centre table1775
pier table1778
loo-table1789
screen table1793
social table1793
octoped1822
claw-table1832
bench table1838
mould1842
end table1851
pedestal table1858
picnic table1866
examining table1877
silver table1897
changing table1917
rent table1919
capstan table1927
conference table1928
tricoteuse1960
Parsons1962
overflow table1973
butcher's block1976
1775 Middlesex Jrnl. 18 Apr. The center table, on which the magnificent ornaments furnished by Mr Cox were placed.
1826 Morning Chron. 20 Mar. (advt.) The genteel furniture of a small house, including French bedsteads and bedding,..an English oak centre table, fine plate chimney glasses, [etc.].
1852 G. W. Curtis Lotus-eating 22 The choice centre-table and crimson-covered lounges.
1929 Star 21 Aug. 13/3 Polished walnut centre table, overmantel to match.
2015 New Indian Express (Nexis) 26 Jan. Serve nuts and chocolates on this artistically designed tray or just use it on your centre table as a design accent.
centre three-quarter n. Rugby (also more fully centre three-quarter back) a player occupying a position in the middle of the three-quarter line; the position occupied by such a player.
ΚΠ
1883 Manch. Guardian 12 Nov. 7/5 Trevor-Smith took his place as centre three-quarter-back.
1921 Christian Sci. Monitor 12 Jan. 10/7 R. L. H. Donald..putting in a capital trial at centre-three-quarter.
2000 Times 17 Nov. 36/2 O'Driscoll was a once-in-a-generation talent,..the best centre threequarter in the northern hemisphere.
centre valve n. (a) a valve which is located centrally in relation to other valves or components of the device of which it is a part; (b) (in gas works) a valve which allows several purifiers to be used in rotation, typically consisting of several pairs of inlets and outlets to which the purifiers may be connected (now rare).
ΚΠ
1841 Pract. Mechanic 16 Oct. 30/1 As soon as the water which passes through the centre valve has come to a state of equilibrium, the stream at the arrow is necessarily at rest.
1856 Jrnl. Gas Lighting 4 Mar. 113/1 The Southport Improvement Commissioners are prepared to receive Tenders for the Supply of Four Cast-Iron Purifiers, with Hydraulic Centre-valve.
1907 Gas World 13 July 34/1 Big centre valves are only found in the old purifier houses, and are being replaced by Weck valves, or else separate inlet and outlet valves on each purifier.
2010 Frederick (Maryland) News-Post 15 July a3 Oil has stopped flowing from the center valve as testing of the new 75-ton cap atop the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the gulf of Mexico begins Wednesday.
centre wheel n. the wheel that carries the minute hand in the mechanism of a clock or watch; (later also more generally) any wheel located centrally within a device or mechanism.In quot. 1736 as part of an extended metaphor.
ΚΠ
1736 Gentleman's Mag. Aug. 462/2 I Desired Francis Hildyard..to bring an erroneous Watch to thee... Thou tellest me in thy Note, that thou hast rectified the Center-wheel, yet the whole Machine goes wrong.
1762 T. Walter New Math. Dict. at Clock The great wheel..drives the pinion of the centre wheel.
1846 Morning Post 22 July 3/4 He recommends a middle rail with a centre wheel for the locomotive.
1876 Nature 19 Oct. 530/2 The centre-wheel turns once for every sixty turns of the escape-wheel, that is, once in an hour.
1917 Pop. Mech. Oct. 177 It [sc. a watch] has solid gold center wheel and double roller pinion.
2000 R. H. Wauer Birds of Northwestern National Parks 6 Bring the binoculars up into position..and use the center wheel to focus on the object.
centre-zero adj. designating a scale (as on a measuring instrument) on which zero is the centre value, thus enabling both positive and negative values to be indicated; designating a line representing zero on such a scale; (of a measuring instrument) that uses such a scale.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [adjective] > attributes of measuring instruments
graduated1806
self-recording1838
recording1857
centre-zero1879
scaled1900
zeroable1956
1879 L. Schwendler Instr. Testing Telegr. Lines (ed. 2) I. 218 The scale is 2 feet long (1 foot lying on each side of the centre zero line).
1898 Electr. World 4 June 688/2 On the dashboard is a combined voltmeter and ammeter, the latter being a centre zero instrument.
1934 A. E. Knowlton Electric Power Metering xvii. 330 The motion would be the same with respect to the zero point of a center-zero scale if the deflecting force were applied and then removed.
2012 J. Bird & C. Ross Mech. Engin. Princ. (ed. 2) xxiii. 266/2 Flow can be metered in either direction by using a centre-zero measuring instrument.

Derivatives

ˈcentrewise adv. towards the centre; with regard to the centre.
ΚΠ
1818 New Times 10 Sept. It is evident..that either half of the inner circle, being almost equally surrounded by matter, must be very little gravitated centrewise.
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. (1856) xvii. 126 It contracts itself centrewise, and rounds itself endwise.
1915 Amer. Nut Jrnl. Mar. 52/1 The nuts..grow in ‘clusters’ of ten or eight or seven as the clusters recede from the outside centerwise.
2012 T. Kavaliauskas in O. Loukola & W. W. Gasparski Environmental Polit. Philos. XIX. iii. 330 We are practically in the periphery of the Universe, centrewise insignificant, too distant.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

centrecentern.2

Brit. /ˈsɛntə/, U.S. /ˈsɛn(t)ər/
Forms: late Middle English centure, late Middle English senter, late Middle English sentour, late Middle English seynter, late Middle English 1600s– center (now chiefly U.S.), 1600s– centre.
Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: cintre n.
Etymology: Originally a variant of cintre n., apprehended as the same word as centre n.1 Compare centry n.1 and centrel n.
1. Building. A temporary framework used to support an arch, dome, etc., esp. while it is under construction. In early use also: (in plural) †the pieces comprising this (obsolete). Cf. centring n.2, cintre n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > [noun] > other building or constructing equipment
centry1398
centrels1415
cintern1442
centre1470
centring1671
cocket centre1827
striking-plate1837
spiling1841
erector1895
drain layer1915
telltale1922
runner1970
1470 in L. F. Salzman Building in Eng. (1992) xx. 321 A greate elme squared to make bord for sentours.
1483 Kirby Muxloe Accts. in Trans. Leics. Archaeol. Soc. (1917–18) 11 302 John Lokyer, 3000 nails, at 4s. 2d. per 1000, for doors and Scaffoldyng and centers and other things needful.
a1631 J. Donne 50 Serm. (1649) xlvi. 438 They that build Arches, place centers under the Arch, to beare up the work..but, after, all is Arch, and there is no more center, no more support.
1682 C. Wren in Wren Soc. (1936) 13 161 Fixing a Center & Gibbet for the Masons to turn over the Tribune of the same Window.
1739 C. Labelye Short Acct. Piers Westm. Bridge 45 They attempted to strike down the Centers, on which they had turned the Arches.
1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 338 Centres, the frame of timber-work for supporting arches during their erection.
1861 S. Smiles Lives Engineers II. 182 The centres spanning the..width of the arch were composed of eight ribs.
1911 H. Adams & E. R. Matthews Reinforced Concrete Constr. i. 10 The centres should be removed most carefully to avoid vibration.
2000 B. Porter & R. Rose Carpentry & Joinery: Work Activities v. 107/2 Centres for arches are temporary structures fabricated and set up to support stone, brick or concrete arches during their construction or repair.
†2. Apparently: a support, a foundation. Obsolete. rare.The interpretation of quot. a1616 is uncertain; it has often been understood as illustrating various senses of centre n.1 (cf. especially sense 4b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > low position > [noun] > condition of being placed under > that which lies under > base on which a thing rests
staddlea900
groundc950
base?c1335
standinga1382
foundation1398
basingc1400
bottom1440
subjecta1500
groundworka1557
basis?a1560
pedestal1563
understand1580
footwork1611
centrea1616
underwork1624
skaddle1635
substructure1641
foot piece1657
pediment1660
seat1661
sedes1662
under-warp1668
plantationa1680
terrace1735
substructure1789
footing1791
seating1805
the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > supporting framework > temporary
centrea1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) ii. i. 104 If I mistake In those Foundations which I build vpon, The Centre is not bigge enough to beare A Schoole-Boyes Top. View more context for this quotation
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

centrecenterv.

Brit. /ˈsɛntə/, U.S. /ˈsɛn(t)ər/
Forms: 1500s– centre, 1600s– center (now chiefly U.S.).
Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: centre n.1
Etymology: < centre n.1In sense 7 originally after French centrer (1650 in the passage translated in quot. 1688).
1. transitive. To position in or at the centre; to place in a central position; to make central. Also: to position or adjust with reference to a given central point.Apparently not recorded in 18th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > mark or be the centre of [verb (transitive)] > place or fix in the centre
centre1555
centralize1834
1555 L. Digges Prognostication Right Good Effect sig. Fivv The plummet and lyne, centred in the extreme vpper part of the other side of your squyre lyke long.
1610 G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 18 Where the Sunne centers himself by right.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 228 In his hand He took the golden Compasses..One foot he center'd, and the other turn'd. View more context for this quotation
1695 P. Hume Annot. Paradise Lost viii. 230 The Earth is Center'd in the middle of the World's wide Frame.
1849 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 57 246 At C, as nearly as possible in the intersection of the diameter and circumference, is centred the pin or journal on which the movable arm works.
1878 Jrnl. Royal Microsc. Soc. 1 47 After having centred the dot.., I put a few drops of castor-oil..on the top of the illuminator.
1936 R. S. Glasgow Princ. Radio Engin. xiii. 411 The cone..is centered by means of a suitable flexible spider.
1969 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 30 Jan. 31/1 A computer can center the key word and print its context out to two justified margins.
1996 B. Tarling In Background 133 A photo that appears slightly off-center..can often be cropped by the photographer to centre the shot properly.
2. Chiefly figurative.
a. transitive. To concentrate, collect, or place in, on, around, etc., a central or focal point. Also (and commonly) in non-physical sense: (with on, around, round, etc.) to base (something) on a central theme, concern, etc. Frequently in passive.Sometimes with the sense of providing a secure basis; cf. sense 4a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > mark or be the centre of [verb (transitive)] > centre in something
concentre1600
centre1603
incentre1611
revolve1815
sphere1852
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > mark or be the centre of [verb (transitive)] > have (something) as its centre
centre1603
1603 R. Niccols Expicedium sig. A3 I would desire..that all those sighes which are assembled together in your brests, might be centered in my heart.
1679 ‘Ephelia’ Female Poems 105 In him I center'd all my hopes of Bliss.
1707 J. Archdale New Descr. Carolina 12 Eight Lords Proprietors..centr'd that Power in..a Palatine of their own election.
1794 W. Godwin Caleb Williams III. xiii. 227 Each of these centred in himself a variety of occupations.
1844 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece VIII. lxii. 179 All his hopes were henceforth centred in Antigonus.
1878 W. Black Green Pastures xxxvii. 295 As if her whole thoughts had been centred on the Falls.
1925 Cent. Mag. Jan. 301/2 All the remaining hopes of the half-despairing good-will of the world were centered on him.
1955 O. Manning Doves of Venus i. ii. 16 His interest was centred then on Gem Primrose, a mature woman.
2006 Independent 6 June 14/4 Trollope's tales are usually centred around the quiet rural lives of the green welly brigade.
b. intransitive. To meet at a centre; to have a centre or focus; to gather, collect, revolve, be placed or concentrated in, on, around, etc., a central or focal point. Also (and commonly) in non-physical sense: (with on, around, round, etc.) to be based on a central theme or concern.Sometimes with the sense of having a secure basis; cf. sense 4b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > find or have a centre [verb (intransitive)]
centre1610
centralize1800
1610 E. Bolton Elements of Armories xi. 70 Vpon that thin board are broad thin axicles, slices, or plates of horne..and againe ouer them twenty and sixe thicke peeces of the like, all meeting, or centring about a round plate of the same, in the nauell of the sheild.
1654 Full & Perfect Relation Great Plot against Lord Protector 7 Let me not deviate nor centrr too much upon circumstances.
1736 Bp. J. Butler Analogy of Relig. ii. vii. 262 Whom all the Prophecies referred to, and in whom they should center.
1796 J. Morse Amer. Universal Geogr. (new ed.) I. 173 The trade, wealth and power of America, may, at some future period, depend, and perhaps centre upon the Missisippi.
1823 J. Badcock Domest. Amusem. 20 All three tubes afterwards centre in one.
1859 T. Parsons Mem. iii. 40 Their members have openly charged us..that we have..exerted ourselves to make the support of the war as expensive as possible, that the money and wealth of the continent might centre with us.
1893 H. B. Clarke Spanish Lit. 163 The plot invariably centres round the love intrigue of persons in the middle or upper classes of life.
1914 M. H. McCarter Peace of Solomon Valley 90 While our families are widely separated—you and mother in New York and Seth Bronson in Seattle—they centre here.
1977 Archivum Linguisticum 8 49 Von Humboldt's interest in languages centred round the attempt to discover how individuality..expresses itself through language.
2015 Sun (Nexis) 3 Feb. 26 The story centres around Jay Cavendish.., crossing America to be reunited with his lost love.
†c. intransitive. To converge. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > be absorbed in [verb (intransitive)] > be intent > on a focal point
stick1534
concentre1613
centre1642
focus1858
concentrate1899
home1955
1642 H. Parker Generall Junto 13 England and Scotland are united by two Royall Lines centring in our King.
1686 A. Taylor Life Galba 732 in tr. Plutarch Lives V. He stept into the Market Place, nigh the Golden Pillar, where all the several Italian ways center.
1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening i. iii. 29 Other strait Alleys, with four circular Cross-ways, and Diagonals, that center upon the two Basons at the Ends.
1789 H. Walpole Reminiscences (1924) viii. 835 All those mortifications centring on a constitution evidently tending to dissolution.
1870 True Latter Day Saints' Herald 1 Mar. 148/2 Unless they [sc. streams] be collected, garnered and directed..no thankful people [will] ever gather round the spot where they centre.
1922 B. Y. Landis Sedwick County Kansas 25 Wichita is one of the large railroad centres of the Prairie states. Six railroads centre here, connecting every community in the country.
3. transitive. To provide with a centre; to mark, constitute, or occupy the centre of; (in non-physical sense) to be the central point or focus of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > mark or be the centre of [verb (transitive)] > provide or mark with a centre
centre1614
centralize1852
1614 W. Alexander Doomes-day i. ix. sig. A2 It [sc. Earth] centers Heauens, Heauens compasse it.
1769 E. Bancroft Ess. Nat. Hist. Guiana 204 Several large black spots centred with white.
1773 H. Mackenzie Man of World I. 3 In the shade of an ancient tree, that centered a circle of elms.
1844 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Aug. 157/1 He is embodying angels, and spreading angelic light;..centring the radiance he creates.
1886 W. J. Tucker Life E. Europe 260 There is the eternal ‘Kugelhupf’ (a genuinely Austrian coffee-cake) centring the table.
1902 C. N. Williamson & A. M. Williamson Lightning Conductor 95 This châteaux country of the Loire..centreing as it did the old court life of France.
1954 Atlanta Daily World 19 Aug. 7/1 The depressing unemployment news which centers the front pages.
2011 P. Lacy Reclaiming Lily xx. 250 A familiar dark-haired woman wearing scrubs rose from a stone bench centering the atrium.
†4.
a. transitive. To fix to or upon as a centre or basis. Obsolete or merged with sense 2a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > placing or fact of being placed in (a) position > place or put in a position [verb (transitive)] > fix or establish in position > as on a fixed centre
centre1624
1624 T. Aylesbury Paganisme & Papisme i. 2 Man..doth center his restlesse motions vpon nothing but the Almighties fruition.
a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry V xxxv, in Poems (1878) IV. 109 Men cent'red to Selfe-Interest and lock't To their wild Causes.
1721 G. Berkeley Ess. Preventing Ruine Great Brit. 17 Centring all our Cares upon private Interest.
b. intransitive. To rest, remain, be based. Obsolete or merged with sense 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > position or situation > be positioned or situated [verb (intransitive)] > permanently > as on a fixed centre
centre1665
1665 J. Bunyan Holy City 97 Here centred Luke the Evangelist, here centred Jude.
1667 R. Allestree Causes Decay Christian Piety ix. 255 Where there is no visible truth, wherein to Center, error is as wide as mens Phancies.
1708 W. Penn in Mem. Hist. Soc. Pennsylvania (1872) X. 268 He assures me he intends to centre with us, and end his days in that country.
1718 W. Wood Surv. Trade 144 We have a Balance..to the Value of 1,750,000 l. which centers and remains among us.
1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 219 His sole opinion..Cent'ring at last in having none at all.
†5. intransitive. With in, upon. To agree, unite. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > agreement, concurrence, or unanimity > be in agreement [verb (intransitive)]
accord1340
cordc1380
to be condescendedc1386
to be consentedc1386
consenta1400
intend1421
onec1450
drawc1480
to be of (also in) one (or a) mind?1496
agreea1513
gree?a1513
to draw by one string1558
conspire1579
to meet witha1586
conclude1586
condog1592
consign1600
hit1608
centre1652
to be of (another's) mind1717
to go all the way (also the whole way) with1829
to sing the same song1846
1652 P. Heylyn Cosmographie To Rdr. sig. A3v Being pressed unto it by some Members of Parliament..and by some others of great rank, but such different Interesses, that I wondred how they could all center upon the same Proposall.
1657 T. Reeve God's Plea for Nineveh Ep. Ded. Let us both center together in this qualification.
1708 C. Leslie Let. against Sacramental Test 25 They have been willing to come to Terms of Accommodation; and have so far proceeded as to center in the Pope as the Principium Unitatis.
6.
a. intransitive. Usually with down. Originally: to reach a state of humility or spiritual rest. Later: to reach a state of inner peace or harmony, esp. by meditation or quiet contemplation. Formerly also transitive (in passive) in same sense.In early use chiefly in the usage of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
ΚΠ
1677 W. Sixmith in B. Sixmith Testimony Life & Death W. Sixmith 7 To feel it [sc. the mind] centred down in the true Rest, Where nothing in the same can him Molest.
a1698 C. Marshall Sion's Travellers Comforted (1704) sig. d7v Then the Lord instructed me, and his pure Spirit and Power opened in me the way of Preservation, and that was to center down into true Humility.
1795 S. Neale Some Acct. Life M. Neale 22 Unless thou centre's [sic] down in true sincerity and humility..these things, with all the other truths of the gospel, will for ever remain a mystery to thee.
1859 Amer. Ann. Monitor 2 26 As I labored to get my mind centered down into true watchfulness and stillness, it pleased the great Head of the Church to [etc.].
1933 Amer. Speech 8 i. 14/2 To center down, to concentrate on some spiritual thought.
1986 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 10 July 27/5 I believe there's a unified force in all things..that if you centre and you meditate and you're balanced you can get in touch with that.
2005 St. Petersburg (Florida) Times (Nexis) 28 Oct. 5 Here you center down, try to get rid of everyday thoughts, and see if you can listen to the divine voice within you.
b. transitive (reflexive). To reach a state of inner peace or harmony, esp. by meditation; to engage in quiet reflection or contemplation. Cf. centred adj. 5.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > compose oneself [verb (reflexive)]
stilla1325
spakea1400
amesec1400
soft?a1500
stay1537
recollect1595
collect1602
compose1607
recompose1611
to reassume oneself1635
relax1685
summon1745
mellow1974
centre1980
1980 W. E. Hulme Mid-life Crises vii. 111 As we center ourselves on a disciplined basis we will discover that meditation and prayer will occur naturally other times during the day.
1993 Osho Everyday Meditator 27/2 Look at it [sc. a statue of the Buddha]whenever you feel the need of centering yourself into a peaceful and harmonious space.
2007 Yoga Mag. Oct. 45/2 I lie flat down in a relaxation posture and center myself, bringing myself present.
†7. transitive. To grind (a lens) so that the thickest part is in the centre. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > mark or be the centre of [verb (transitive)] > place or fix in the centre > in technical applications
centre1688
middle1883
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with glass > work with glass [verb (transitive)] > specific processes
blow1589
grind1651
centre1688
muff1877
muffle1908
1688 R. Waller tr. Meas. Earth ix. 27 in A. Pitfield tr. C. Perrault Mem. Nat. Hist. Animals But for avoiding as much as is possible the refractions of the Telescope, care must be taken that the Object Glass be well centred.
1754 Philos. Trans. 1753 (Royal Soc.) 48 177 Harris's Lexicon Techn. Vol. I. (see Optics) gives a rule for centering optic-glasses.
1842 Mag. Sci. 1 348/1 Let the lens to be centred be cemented to a brass chuck.
1915 Amer. Exporter Dec. 75/1 The next step is to center the lens upon a machine that renders the edge of precisely uniform thickness.
8. transitive. Association Football and Hockey. To kick or pass (a ball) from either of the wings towards the middle of the pitch in front of the opponent's goal. Also intransitive. Cf. centre n.1 17e.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > play team ball games [verb (transitive)] > actions or manoeuvres
pass1865
to throw in1867
work1868
centre1877
shoot1882
field1883
tackle1884
chip1889
feed1889
screen1906
fake1907
slap1912
to turn over1921
tip-in1958
to lay off1965
spill1975
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > hockey > play hockey [verb (transitive)] > type of stroke
centre1877
1877 Bell's Life in London 27 Oct. 5/1 A fifth goal was obtained by Coppage, the ball being well centred by Denton.
1897 Daily News 22 Feb. 8/6 The latter, as..the Cambridge back dashed at him, again centred the ball.
1904 Daily Chron. 15 Feb. 8/4 Wright ran smartly down on the left and centred.
1982 R. Widdows Hamlyn Bk. Football (1983) 14 Many schoolboy goalies get little practice on crosses because few youngsters can centre a ball well.
2014 Wesleyan Argus (Nexis) 30 Oct. (Sports section) 1 Mackey Hemphill..centered a pass to Captain Hannah Plappert..who hit a low bouncer into the back of the net.
9. transitive. American Football. Originally: to return (the ball) to the centre of the pitch (now disused). Later: to put (the ball) in play by passing it quickly backwards; = snap v. 5f.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > play American football [verb (transitive)] > actions to ball
return1884
snap1887
drive1889
centre1895
to turn over1921
convert1932
lateral1932
snag1942
shovel pass1948
bootleg1951
squib1966
to take a (also the) knee1972
spike1976
1895 Times-Republican (Bedford, Iowa) 31 Aug. The ball was centered and appropriated by Bedford who lost it in the second scrimmage.
1939 Christian Sci. Monitor 18 Oct. 14/5 He centered the ball on a B. U. punt and made the tackle of the Western Reserve safety man before the Red Cat had taken one stride.
1987 Associated Press Newswire (Nexis) 8 May The clock stays stopped after all incomplete pass plays until the ball is centered for the next play.
2013 Pittsburgh Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 7 Nov. (Sports section) c5 As West Virginia's offense lined up to center the ball.., he..blended into the team huddle on the sideline.
10. transitive. Ice Hockey. To occupy the central position in (a line of three forward players); to play between (the two wingers). In early use also in other team sports: to occupy a position in the middle of (a line of players). Esp. in to centre the line.
ΚΠ
1925 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 25 Sept. 32/3 Carruthers, who centers the line, is a former navy star.
1940 Christian Sci. Monitor 28 Mar. 16/6 Such a move would find Bob Jeremiah back at his normal right wing position, with Buddy Foster centering the line.
1984 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 13 Feb. On Saturday, Brent Sutter..centred wingers John Tonelli and Bob Nystrom.
2004 E. Willes Rebel League (2005) v. 100 New England coach Jack Kelley started a line centred by Larry Pleau.
2014 Sheffield Tel. (Nexis) 21 Dec. Danny Bois centred the third line, with Rod Sarich and Phil Hill.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
<
n.1adj.c1392n.21470v.1555
随便看

　

英语词典包含1132095条英英释义在线翻译词条，基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法，是英语学习的有利工具。

　

Copyright © 2004-2022 Newdu.com All Rights Reserved
更新时间：2024/12/22 21:12:41