centric

¹ American  

[sen-trik] / ˈsɛn trɪk /

Also centrical

adjective

1. pertaining to or situated at the center; central.

2. Anatomy, Physiology. pertaining to or originating at a nerve center.

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-centric ² American  

1. a combining form with the meanings “having a center or centers” of the specified number or kind (polycentric ); “centered upon, focused around” that named by the first element (ethnocentric; heliocentric ).

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centric ¹ British  

/ sɛnˈtrɪsɪtɪ, ˈsɛntrɪk /

adjective

1. being central or having a centre

2. relating to or originating at a nerve centre

3. botany

   1. Also: concentric.  (of vascular bundles) having one type of tissue completely surrounding the other

   2. (of leaves, such as those of the onion) cylindrical

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-centric ² British  

suffix

1. having a centre as specified

   heliocentric

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Usage

What does -centric mean? The combining form -centric is used like a suffix meaning variously “having a center or centers” of the specified number or kind or "centered upon, focused around." It is often used in a variety of technical and everyday terms.The form -centric comes from a combination of two combining forms. The first is centr-, meaning "center," from Latin centrum. The second form is the suffix -ic, from Latin -icus, which has a variety of meanings, including "having some characteristics of."

Other Word Forms

• centrically adverb
• centricity noun
• multicentric adjective
• uncentric adjective
• uncentrical adjective

Etymology

Origin of centric¹

1580–90; < Greek kentrikós of, pertaining to a cardinal point, equivalent to kéntr ( on ) ( center ) + -ikos -ic

Origin of -centric²

centr-, -ic

Related Words

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