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| cen·tu·ry [ sénchəree ] (plural cen·tu·ries) |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. 100-year period in dating system: a period of a hundred years in a dating system, from a year numbered 1 or 00, e.g. 1901 or 2000, to one ending in 00 or 99, e.g. 2000 or 2099. Centuries are counted forward or backward from a significant event, e.g. the birth of Jesus Christ.
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2. 100 years: a period of a hundred years
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3. long time: a very long time
(
informal
)
(
usually used in the plural
)
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4. unit of Roman soldiers: in ancient Rome, a group of foot soldiers, originally comprising a hundred men but later between sixty and eighty.
See also maniple (sense 1)
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5. group of Roman voters: in ancient Rome, a division of citizens designated for voting purposes
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| [14th century. < Latin centuria "group of a hundred" < centum "hundred"] |
