Where does “Center” come from?

Center comes from Middle French centre, from Latin centrum, from Ancient Greek κέντρον, derived from the verb κεντεῖν meaning to prick or pierce, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱent-.

Center (English): The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference

Definitions

  1. The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference

Ancestry of “Center”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcenter
2Middle Frenchcentre
3Latincentrumcenter
4Ancient GreekκέντρονSomething with a sharp point: point, spike, spur;...
5Proto-Hellenic*kéntron
6Proto-Indo-European*ḱéntrompointed tool

Words derived from “Center

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *ḱéntrom