What does century mean?
A century is a period of one hundred years, and it also serves as the conventional unit by which we divide historical time: the nineteenth century refers broadly to the 1800s, the twentieth to the 1900s, and so on. The word carries a sense of scale and duration — events described as spanning centuries feel ancient or enduring — and phrases such as 'turn of the century' mark moments of transition between eras. In British and Commonwealth cricket, century has a second, unrelated meaning: a score of one hundred runs made by a single batter in an innings, a notable individual achievement. Derived from the Latin centum, meaning 'hundred', via Roman usage, the word belongs to a family that includes cent, percent, and centurion. Whether marking anniversaries, dating architecture, or framing long-term change, century remains one of the most practical units for thinking about deep stretches of human history.
A period of one hundred years.
"The manuscript is believed to be more than five centuries old."
Each of the successive periods of one hundred years reckoned from the traditionally accepted date of the birth of Christ, used to structure historical time.
"The novel vividly recreates Paris in the eighteenth century."
By strict convention, the nth century begins in the year (n−1)01, so the twenty-first century started in 2001.
In cricket, a score of one hundred runs made by one batter in a single innings.
"He celebrated his maiden century after four hours at the crease."
Chiefly British and Commonwealth usage.
Regular plural; used both for multiple hundred-year periods and figuratively for a very long time ('it took centuries').
"For centuries, sailors relied on the stars to navigate open oceans."
In ancient Rome, a 'centuria' was a military unit of about a hundred soldiers commanded by a centurion — which is why our word for a hundred years traces back to the Roman army.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of century
Century derives from the Latin centuria, meaning a group of one hundred — originally a division of the Roman army consisting of roughly a hundred men under a centurion — built on centum, the Latin word for 'hundred'. The term entered English around the early seventeenth century, initially carrying senses related to groups of a hundred before settling into its dominant meaning of a hundred-year period. It shares its root with cent, percent, centenary, centennial, and centurion.
How century is actually used
The word is neutral in register and appears freely in formal and informal contexts. Note that by standard convention the first century ran from year 1 to year 100, so ordinal centuries run 'one ahead' of their years — the twentieth century spans the 1900s, and the twenty-first century began in 2001, though popular usage often treats the 1900s as 'the twentieth century' loosely. In cricket, chiefly British and Commonwealth usage.
Easily confused with century
A centenary (or centennial) is specifically the hundredth anniversary of an event, whereas a century is any period of one hundred years.