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
Kristen Fischer, Health, 11 Dec. 2025
All centenarians, this year none were able to make the pilgrimage to Hawaii to mark the event.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025
The survey also found 40% of the centenarians play video games regularly, while 27% have asked ChatGPT (or other AI platforms) a question, showing curiosity about new technology.
—Allison Aubrey, NPR, 1 Dec. 2025
Common suggestions from centenarians and people over the age of 80 are to stay active and to never retire.
—Renée Onque, CNBC, 27 Nov. 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 17 Dec. 2025.
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centenarian
noun
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