Where does “centre” come from?

Centre 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-.

centre (English): Alternative spelling of center

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of center

Ancestry of “centre”, 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 “centre”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *ḱéntrom →Every word from Proto-Hellenic *kéntron →Every word from Ancient Greek κέντρον →