centurion
nounUK /sɛnˈtjʊəɹ.i.ən/ · US /sɛnˈtjʊɹ.i.ən/
Etymology From Middle English centurioun, from Latin centuriō, centuriōnis (“a commander of a hundred, centurion”), from Latin centum (“a hundred”). Displaced native English hundreder and hundredman, from Middle English hundredman, from Old English hundredmann (“centurion”).
1
Historical An officer of the ancient Roman army, in command of a century of soldiers.
- “Man,” said the largest, most protective of the Praetorian guard, her lover, no doubt, and her peroxide-blond centurion, “for an apostle of peace you sure are filled up with war.”2001, Salman Rushdie, Fury: A Novel, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 5:
2
Ball games, Cricket, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A player who scores a century.
3
US A pilot in the United States Navy who has performed one hundred night landings on an aircraft carrier.
- Synonyms
- centenier, centenary, hundreder, hundredman
- Derived terms
- centurion's staff, centurion syndrome
- Related terms
- century