[syn: center(a), halfway, middle(a), midway]
2. of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
center \cen"ter\ (s[e^]n"t[~e]r), n. [F. centre, fr. L. centrum,
fr. Gr. ke`ntron any sharp point, the point round which a
circle is described, fr. kentei^n to prick, goad.]
1. A point equally distant from the extremities of a line,
figure, or body, or from all parts of the circumference of
a circle; the middle point or place.
[1913 Webster]
2. The middle or central portion of anything.
[1913 Webster]
3. A principal or important point of concentration; the
nucleus around which things are gathered or to which they
tend; an object of attention, action, or force; as, a
center of attaction.
[1913 Webster]
4. The earth. [Obs.] --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
5. Those members of a legislative assembly (as in France) who
support the existing government. They sit in the middle of
the legislative chamber, opposite the presiding officer,
between the conservatives or monarchists, who sit on the
right of the speaker, and the radicals or advanced
republicans who occupy the seats on his left, See Right,
and Left.
[1913 Webster]
6. (Arch.) A temporary structure upon which the materials of
a vault or arch are supported in position until the work
becomes self-supporting.
[1913 Webster]
7. (Mech.)
(a) One of the two conical steel pins, in a lathe, etc.,
upon which the work is held, and about which it
revolves.
(b) A conical recess, or indentation, in the end of a
shaft or other work, to receive the point of a center,
on which the work can turn, as in a lathe.
[1913 Webster]
Note: In a lathe the
live center is in the spindle of the head stock; the
dead center is on the tail stock.
Planer centers are stocks carrying centers, when the object
to be planed must be turned on its axis.
[1913 Webster]
Center of an army, the body or troops occupying the place
in the line between the wings.
Center of a curve or Center of a surface (Geom.)
(a) A point such that every line drawn through the point
and terminated by the curve or surface is bisected at
the point.
(b) The fixed point of reference in polar coordinates. See
Coordinates.
Center of curvature of a curve (Geom.), the center of that
circle which has at any given point of the curve closer
contact with the curve than has any other circle whatever.
See Circle.
Center of a fleet, the division or column between the van
and rear, or between the weather division and the lee.
Center of gravity (Mech.), that point of a body about which
all its parts can be balanced, or which being supported,
the whole body will remain at rest, though acted upon by
gravity.
Center of gyration (Mech.), that point in a rotating body
at which the whole mass might be concentrated
(theoretically) without altering the resistance of the
intertia of the body to angular acceleration or
retardation.
Center of inertia (Mech.), the center of gravity of a body
or system of bodies.
Center of motion, the point which remains at rest, while
all the other parts of a body move round it.
Center of oscillation, the point at which, if the whole
matter of a suspended body were collected, the time of
oscillation would be the same as it is in the actual form
and state of the body.
Center of percussion, that point in a body moving about a
fixed axis at which it may strike an obstacle without
communicating a shock to the axis.
Center of pressure (Hydros.), that point in a surface
pressed by a fluid, at which, if a force equal to the
whole pressure and in the same line be applied in a
contrary direction, it will balance or counteract the
whole pressure of the fluid.
[1913 Webster] Center
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Center \Cen"ter\, Centre \Cen"tre\ v. i. [imp. & p. p.
Centered or Centred (s[e^]n"t[~e]rd); p. pr. & vb. n.
Centering or Centring.]
1. To be placed in a center; to be central.
[1913 Webster]
2. To be collected to a point; to be concentrated; to rest
on, or gather about, as a center.
[1913 Webster]
Where there is no visible truth wherein to center,
error is as wide as men's fancies. --Dr. H. More.
[1913 Webster]
Our hopes must center in ourselves alone. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster] Center
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Center \Cen"ter\, Centre \Cen"tre\, v. t.
1. To place or fix in the center or on a central point.
--Milton.
[1913 Webster]
2. To collect to a point; to concentrate.
[1913 Webster]
Thy joys are centered all in me alone. --Prior.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Mech.) To form a recess or indentation for the reception
of a center.
[1913 Webster] Centerbit
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
center
adj 1: equally distant from the extremes [syn: center(a),
halfway, middle(a), midway]
2: of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically
or intellectually [ant: left, right]
n 1: an area that is approximately central within some larger
region; "it is in the center of town"; "they ran forward
into the heart of the struggle"; "they were in the eye of
the storm" [syn: center, centre, middle, heart,
eye]
2: the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the
catcher; "he hit the ball to deep center" [syn: center
field, centerfield, center]
3: a building dedicated to a particular activity; "they were
raising money to build a new center for research" [syn:
center, centre]
4: a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the
extremities of a figure [syn: center, centre, midpoint]
5: the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some
idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument";
"the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the
story" [syn: kernel, substance, core, center,
centre, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul,
inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-
gritty]
6: the object upon which interest and attention focuses; "his
stories made him the center of the party" [syn: center,
centre, center of attention, centre of attention]
7: a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process;
"in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere"
[syn: center, centre, nerve center, nerve centre]
8: the middle of a military or naval formation; "they had to
reinforce the center"
9: (basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
10: (football) the person who plays center on the line of
scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback; "the center
fumbled the handoff" [syn: center, snapper]
11: a place where some particular activity is concentrated;
"they received messages from several centers" [syn:
center, centre]
12: politically moderate persons; centrists
13: (ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
14: the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is
enclosed in chocolate or some other covering [syn: center,
centre]
15: mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully
landscaped complex of shops representing leading
merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient
parking area; a modern version of the traditional
marketplace; "a good plaza should have a movie house"; "they
spent their weekends at the local malls" [syn: plaza,
mall, center, shopping mall, shopping center,
shopping centre]
16: the position on a hockey team of the player who participates
in the face off at the beginning of the game
17: (American football) the position of the player on the line
of scrimmage who puts the ball in play; "it is a center's
responsibility to get the football to the quarterback"
18: a position on a basketball team of the player who
participates in the jump that starts the game
v 1: center upon; "Her entire attention centered on her
children"; "Our day revolved around our work" [syn: focus
on, center on, revolve around, revolve about,
concentrate on, center]
2: direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your
studies and not on your hobbies" [syn: concentrate,
focus, center, centre, pore, rivet]
3: move into the center; "That vase in the picture is not
centered" [syn: center, centre]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
213 Moby Thesaurus words for "center":
activator, adductor, amateur athlete, approach, archer, athlete,
attractant, attrahent, average, axiom, axis, balance, ballplayer,
baseballer, baseman, batter, battery, blocking back, bosom, bowman,
catcher, center of action, center of attraction, center of gravity,
center on, center round, centermost, central, centralize, centrist,
centroid, centrum, close, close in, close up, close with, coach,
come together, competitor, compromise, concenter, concentralize,
concentrate, converge, core, cricketer, cynosure, dead center,
deepest recesses, defensive lineman, diameter, diaphragm, dynamo,
elixir, end, energizer, epicenter, equator, equidistant, essence,
essential, fall in with, fence, flower, focal point, focus,
footballer, fundamental, funnel, games-player, gamester,
generality, gist, golden mean, gravamen, guard, half measures,
half-and-half measures, halfway, halfway measures, happy medium,
heart, heart of hearts, hub, hypostasis, infielder, inner,
inner essence, inner landscape, inner life, inner man,
inner nature, inner recess, inner self, inside, interior,
interior man, intermediary, intermediate, intern, internal,
intersect, intrados, inward, jock, jumper, juste-milieu, kernel,
lineman, lure, marrow, mean, meat, medial, median, mediocrity,
medium, medulla, meet, metacenter, mid, middle, middle course,
middle ground, middle point, middle position, middle state,
middle way, middle-of-the-road, middle-of-the-roader, middlemost,
midmost, midpoint, midriff, midst, moderantism, moderantist,
moderate, moderate position, moderateness, moderation,
moderationist, moderatism, moderatist, narrow the gap, nave, navel,
nerve center, neutral ground, nip, norm, normal, nub, nucleus,
nuts and bolts, offensive lineman, omphalos, outfield, outfielder,
par, penetralia, pinch, pith, pivot, player, polestar, poloist,
postulate, principle, professional athlete, pugilist, quarterback,
quick, quid, quiddity, quintessence, racer, recesses, root, rule,
run, run together, sap, seat, secret place, secret places, skater,
soul, spirit, sport, sportsman, stimulant, storm center, stuff,
substance, tackle, tailback, taper, the nitty-gritty, thick,
thick of things, third force, toxophilite, umbilicus, unite,
via media, vital center, vitals, waist, waistline, wingback,
wrestler, zone
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):
Center, NE -- U.S. village in Nebraska
Population (2000): 90
Housing Units (2000): 49
Land area (2000): 0.107139 sq. miles (0.277488 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.107139 sq. miles (0.277488 sq. km)
FIPS code: 08360
Located within: Nebraska (NE), FIPS 31
Location: 42.608910 N, 97.876224 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 68724
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Center, NE
Center
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):
Center, CO -- U.S. town in Colorado
Population (2000): 2392
Housing Units (2000): 848
Land area (2000): 0.838020 sq. miles (2.170463 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.838020 sq. miles (2.170463 sq. km)
FIPS code: 12855
Located within: Colorado (CO), FIPS 08
Location: 37.752862 N, 106.110483 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 81125
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Center, CO
Center
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):
Center, ND -- U.S. city in North Dakota
Population (2000): 678
Housing Units (2000): 310
Land area (2000): 0.388800 sq. miles (1.006987 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.388800 sq. miles (1.006987 sq. km)
FIPS code: 13180
Located within: North Dakota (ND), FIPS 38
Location: 47.114928 N, 101.300361 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Center, ND
Center
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):
Center, TX -- U.S. city in Texas
Population (2000): 5678
Housing Units (2000): 2290
Land area (2000): 6.232461 sq. miles (16.141999 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.012825 sq. miles (0.033217 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 6.245286 sq. miles (16.175216 sq. km)
FIPS code: 13732
Located within: Texas (TX), FIPS 48
Location: 31.793705 N, 94.178463 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 75935
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Center, TX
Center
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):
Center, MO -- U.S. city in Missouri
Population (2000): 644
Housing Units (2000): 309
Land area (2000): 0.397189 sq. miles (1.028714 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.397189 sq. miles (1.028714 sq. km)
FIPS code: 12592
Located within: Missouri (MO), FIPS 29
Location: 39.509267 N, 91.528566 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 63436
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Center, MO
Center