English

Variant spelling

• centre (British). Center is the US spelling.

Noun

center (plural centers )

1. (geometry) The point on a line that is midway between the ends.
2. (geometry) The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference of the circle.
3. (geometry) The point in the interior of a sphere that is equidistant from all points on the surface of the sphere.
4. (geometry) The point in the interior of any figure of any number of dimensions that has as its coordinates the arithmetic mean of the coordinates of all points on the perimeter of the figure.
5. A place where some function or activity occurs.

   shopping center

   convention center

6. A topic that is particularly important in a given context.

   the center of the controversy

   the center of attention

7. The player, generally the tallest, who plays closest to the basket.

Synonyms

• (point on a line midway between the ends): midpoint
• (point in the interior of figure with mean coordinates): centroid , center of gravity, center of mass

Translations

point on a line midway between the ends

point equidistant from all points on the perimeter of a circle

point equidistant from all points on the surface of a sphere

point in the interior of figure with mean coordinates

place where a function or activity occurs

topic of particular importance in a given context

basketball player who plays closest to the basket

The translations below need to be checked by native speakers and inserted into the correct table(s) above. NOTE: The numbering is wrong.

• Finnish: keskipiste (1-5), keskus (6)
• Slovak: stred m
• Slovene: središče n (2,3,4,5,6) , sredina f (1), center m (8)
• Swedish: center (2,6,8), centrum (2,6), mitt (1-5), mittpunkt (1-5), kärna (7)�

Adjective

center (no comparative or superlative)

1. Of, at, or related to a center.

Synonyms

• central

Translations

• Slovak: stredný -á -é, prostredný -á -é

Transitive verb

to center (present participle centering, past tense and past participle centered)

1. To cause (an object) to occupy the center of an area.
2. To cause (some attribute, such as a mood or voltage) to be adjusted to a value which is midway between the extremes.
3. To concentrate on (something), to pay close attention to (something).

Translations

cause to occupy the center

cause something to have a value midway between extremes

concentrate on

Related terms

• central
• centerpiece
• community center
• shopping center