CENTRAL


Meaning of CENTRAL in English

I. ˈsen.trəl adjective

( sometimes -er/-est )

Etymology: Latin centralis, from centrum center — more at center

1. : containing or constituting a center : relevant or pertinent to a center

the sun having a central place in the solar system

the central areas

2. : belonging to the center as most important part : basic , essential , principal , dominant : not peripheral or incidental : cardinally related

these efforts have been marginal and not central — Max Lerner

ethical values central to the democratic way of life — Sidney Hook

the central virtues … courage, honor, faithfulness, veracity, justice — Walter Lippmann

a notion central to his beliefs

3.

a. : situated at, in, or near the center : occupying a center : proceeding from a center

the central block of the city

the central part of the state

b. : placed at a center and accessible from all outlying points without undue or disproportionate difficulty

a new theater in a central location

4.

a. : centrally placed and superseding or eliminating separate scattered units

central heating

central offices

b. : controlling or directing local or branch activities : constituting a governing or administrative center

decided by the central committee

5. : holding to a middle course or position between extremes : moderate , center

6.

a. : of or concerning the centrum of a vertebra

b. : of, relating to, or indicating the part of the nervous system comprising the brain and spinal cord — distinguished from peripheral

7. of a vowel : articulated at a point in the oral passage between front and back

II. noun

( -s )

1. sometimes capitalizeditalized

a. : a telephone exchange

b. : a telephone operator — now usually called operator

ask central to cancel the call

2. : centrale

3. : a central office or bureau usually controlling or dominating others

central ran the various branches

4. usually capitalized : a branch of the Niger-Congo language family including Bantu, Ekoi, Ibibio, and Tiv

III. sen.ˈträl noun

( plural centrals -lz ; or centra·les -ä(ˌ)lās)

Etymology: American Spanish, from Spanish central, adjective, from Latin centralis

in Spanish America & the Philippines : a mill for making raw sugar out of cane

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.