Word
centurion
Phoneticscen·tu·ri·on
US/sɛnˈtʊɹiən/
UK/sɛntʃˈɔːɹiən/
Definitions
01Roman officer
n. an officer in the ancient Roman army who led a group of soldiers called a century.
n. a professional officer in the Roman army, typically commanding a century of approximately 80 to 100 legionaries.
“The centurion led his soldiers into the city during the Roman invasion.”
“Historical records suggest that the centurion was the backbone of the Roman legion, responsible for maintaining discipline and tactical order in the field.”
Technical
Usage
Usually refers specifically to the Roman military context.
02cricket player
n. a player in cricket who scores 100 runs in a single game.
n. a batsman who achieves a century, which is a score of 100 or more runs in a single innings.
“The crowd cheered as the young centurion reached his hundredth run.”
“Becoming a centurion in a Test match remains one of the most prestigious milestones for any professional batsman.”
British English
Usage
Common in Commonwealth countries where cricket is popular.
Real-World Examples
“Centurions and other officers were paid at considerably higher rates.” “Bouchier added 143 for the first wicket with Sophia Dunkley, who made 73, which laid the perfect platform before the centurion holed out to long-on with just 59 runs needed.” Etymology
From Middle English centurioun, from Latin centuriō, centuriōnis (“a commander of a hundred, centurion”), from Latin centum (“a hundred”). Displaced native English hundreder and hundredman, from Middle English hundredman, from Old English hundredmann (“centurion”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/centurion