central

¹

[ sen-truhl ]

adjective

1. of or forming the center:

   the central hut in the village.

2. in, at, or near the center:

   a central position.

3. constituting something from which other related things proceed or upon which they depend:

   a central office.

4. principal; chief; dominant:

   the play's central character.

   Synonyms: primary, leading, key, main, major

5. Anatomy, Zoology.
   1. of or relating to the central nervous system.
   2. of or relating to the centrum of a vertebra.
6. Phonetics. (of a speech sound) produced with the tongue articulating neither expressly forward nor in the back part of the mouth, as any of the sounds of lull.
7. Physics. (of a force) directed to or from a fixed point.

noun

1. (formerly)
   1. a main telephone exchange.
   2. a telephone operator at such an exchange.

central

²

[ sen-trahl; Spanish sen-trahl ]

noun

, plural cen·trals, Spanish cen·tra·les [sen-, trah, -les].

1. (in Spanish America and the Philippines) a mill for crushing cane into raw sugar.

Central

³

[ sen-truhl ]

noun

1. a region in central Scotland. 1,016 sq. mi. (2,631 sq. km).

central

/ ˈsɛntrəl /

adjective

1. in, at, of, from, containing, or forming the centre of something

   the central material of a golf ball

   the central street in a city

2. main, principal, or chief; most important

   the central cause of a problem

3. 1. of or relating to the central nervous system
   2. of or relating to the centrum of a vertebra
4. of, relating to, or denoting a vowel articulated with the tongue held in an intermediate position halfway between the positions for back and front vowels, as for the a of English soda
5. (of a force) directed from or towards a point
6. informal.
   immediately postpositive used to describe a place where a specified thing, quality, etc is to be found in abundance

   nostalgia central

Derived Forms

• ˈcentrally, adverb

Other Words From

• central·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of central¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin centrālis, “centrally located,” equivalent to centr(um) center + -ālis -al ¹

Origin of central²

First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin American Spanish, special use of Spanish central central ¹

Example Sentences

"Such a central place makes the process more efficient," says De Luca.

From Science Daily

Instead, there seemed to be a higher concentration in the province of Ogliastra, a central mountainous region.

From Science Magazine

That can help their control of midfield - and of central defence.

From BBC

But that need has a particular urgency: Melody, the central character in “Out of My Mind,” has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak.

From New York Times

Mr. Adani is so central to India’s politics that he can broker deals between sworn rivals.

From New York Times

Related Words

• basic
• essential
• fundamental
• important
• key
• paramount
• pivotal
• significant