Where does “century” come from?
Century comes from Middle English centurie, from Old French centurie, from Latin centuria, derived from Latin centum meaning "hundred," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱm̥tóm.
century (English): A period of 100 consecutive years; "often...
Definitions
- A period of 100 consecutive years; "often...
Ancestry of “century”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | centurie | a count of one hundred ; a division of the Roman... |
| 2 | Old French | centurie | — |
| 3 | Latin | centuria | century, "in its senses as"; any similar... |
| 4 | Latin | centum | a hundred; 100 |
| 5 | Latin | folium | a leaf; a petal; a sheet or leaf of paper |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *foljom | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰolh₃yom | leaf |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |