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
Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2025
One that has cropped up in several studies of centenarians is called FOXO3, which is involved in many fundamental aspects of cellular health.
—Dana G. Smith, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
These regions, called Blue Zones, are home to the highest concentrations of centenarians (people who live to be over 100 years old).
—Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, Rdn, Ld, Health, 6 Jan. 2025
Sardinia’s centenarians were not evenly distributed across the island, the researchers found.
—science.org, 21 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 3 Mar. 2025.
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centenarian
noun
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