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
Cameron Schoppa
sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
Malignancies, like cancer cells that typically spread, were more largely present in centenarians, while neuropsychiatric conditions, such as anxiety disorders and dementia, were less common.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2025
In 1950, there were only 14,000 centenarians.
—Check Warner Mbe, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Dannon built a whole campaign around Georgian centenarians and the secret to long life.
—Marisa McMillan, Outside, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for centenarian
Cite this Entry
“Centenarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centenarian. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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centenarian
noun
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