Where does “centrepiece” come from?
Centrepiece comes from Middle English pece, from Latin centrum, from Ancient Greek κέντρον, from the verb κεντεῖν meaning to prick or pierce, ultimately from Proto-Celtic kʷezdis.
centrepiece (English): An ornament to be placed in the centre, as of a...
Definitions
- An ornament to be placed in the centre, as of a...
Ancestry of “centrepiece”, step by step
centrepiece traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English piece
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | piece | A part of a larger whole, usually in such a form... |
| 2 | Middle English | pece | piece; morsel; bit |
| 3 | Old French | piece | piece, bit, part; circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | pettia | piece, portion |
| 5 | Latin | pettia | piece, portion |
| 6 | Gaulish | pettyā | — |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | kʷezdis | piece, portion |