cen ‧ tu ‧ ry S2 W1 /ˈsentʃəri/ BrE AmE noun ( plural centuries ) [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: centuria , from centum ; ⇨ ↑ cent ]
1 . one of the 100-year periods measured from before or after the year of Christ’s birth
the 11th/18th/21st etc century
The church was built in the 13th century.
the next/last century
by the beginning of the next century
the story of life on a small farm at the turn of the century (=the beginning of the century)
2 . a period of 100 years:
many centuries ago
3 . 100 ↑ run s scored by one ↑ cricket player in an ↑ innings
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1 )
■ adjectives
▪ the 18th/19th/20th/21st etc century
The movie is set in the 18th century.
▪ the early/mid/late 18th etc century
the industrial towns of the early 19th century
▪ the last/next century
The boats were built in the last century.
▪ the present century
The present century has seen the start of international terrorism.
■ phrases
▪ the beginning of the century
Coco Chanel was born in France at the beginning of the century.
▪ the turn of the century (=the time when one century ends and another begins)
The town was expanding at the turn of the century.
▪ the end/close of the century
He was writing his books towards the end of the 19th century.
▪ the first/second half of the century
In the second half of the century, people's wages began to rise.
▪ 18th-/19th- etc century art/music/literature
Nothing compares with Florence's beautiful 15th-century architecture.
▪ a16th-/19th- etc century house/church etc
They live in a 17th-century farmhouse.
■ verbs
▪ date from the 18th etc century (=it was started, built etc in the 18th etc century)
The present church dates from the 13th century.