centenarian
noun
Did you know?
We can't say there are exactly 100 English words based on the Latin root centum, meaning "hundred," but there are certainly dozens. "Centenarian" isn't the oldest one; it only dates from the late 1700s. Far older is "centurion" (an ancient Roman military officer), which has been around since the 13th century. A younger "centum" offspring is "centisecond," a rare term for 1/100 of a second that dates from the 1950s. From colorful words such as "centicipitous" (which means "100-headed") to practical ones like "centgener" ("a device for planting 100 seeds"), "centum" descendants have enlivened our language for centuries.
Examples of centenarian in a Sentence
Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
Here are the facts: What has the Trump administration said about payments to centenarians?
—Fatima Hussein, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025
While experts say many Americans are living longer because of advances in modern medicine, some are exceeding the 100-year-old mark by two, four, even eight years — placing them in a super centenarian category.
—Lisa Vernon Sparks, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025
Asking the exuberant centenarian to take a second call by FaceTime so that her beautiful smile could be seen was not an option.
—Scott Talley, Detroit Free Press, 3 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for centenarian
Cite this Entry
“Centenarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centenarian. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
centenarian
noun
Share