Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The commander of a century in the Roman army.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In Roman antiquity, a military officer who commanded a century or company of infantry. The centurion was appointed by the commander-in-chief, and corresponded to the captain in modern military service.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Rom. Hist.) A military officer who commanded a minor division of the Roman army; a captain of a century.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An officer of the ancient Roman army, in command of a century of soldiers.
  • noun cricket A player who scores a century.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (ancient Rome) the leader of 100 soldiers

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin centuriō, centuriōn-, from centuria, group of a hundred; see century.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin centuriō, from centum ("a hundred").

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Examples

  • The name of Longinus first appeared in a collection of early Christian texts known as the Apocrypha, where he was described as a centurion who had served his legion faithfully before poor eyesight ended his battlefield career.

    HITLER’S HOLY RELICS Sidney D. Kirkpatrick 2010

  • The name of Longinus first appeared in a collection of early Christian texts known as the Apocrypha, where he was described as a centurion who had served his legion faithfully before poor eyesight ended his battlefield career.

    HITLER’S HOLY RELICS Sidney D. Kirkpatrick 2010

  • If the centurion is so civil as to take his word, he is so just and honest as to keep his word.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts to Revelation) 1721

  • 2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume V (Matthew to John) 1721

  • The centurion was a commanding officer of a Roman army unit called a century, nominally a hundred foot soldiers.

    Beginner’s Grace Kate Braestrup 2010

  • The centurion was a commanding officer of a Roman army unit called a century, nominally a hundred foot soldiers.

    Beginner’s Grace Kate Braestrup 2010

  • The centurion was a commanding officer of a Roman army unit called a century, nominally a hundred foot soldiers.

    Beginner’s Grace Kate Braestrup 2010

  • The centurion was a man of honour and he had no stomach for the work of this day--the obviously political disposal of a troublesome but innocent man.

    Recognition Belinda 2007

  • The centurion was a man of honour and he had no stomach for the work of this day--the obviously political disposal of a troublesome but innocent man.

    Archive 2007-08-01 Belinda 2007

  • The centurion was a magnificent fighter, but anyone could be taken by surprise.

    Death in Winter Michael Jan Friedman 2005

Comments

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  • I am a centurion, toothbrush on my head. -Eddie Izzard

    October 17, 2008

  • US Railway Association, Standard Cipher Code, 1906: Railroad telegraphers' shorthand for "Cars cannot be supplied".

    January 21, 2013