Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Central in Webster's 1913 dictionary

The 1913 record labels central as adjective. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.

WEBSTER 1913adjective
Central

[L. centralis, fr. centrum: cf. F. central. See Center.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordcentral
Part of speechadjective
Historical etymology[L. centralis, fr. centrum: cf. F. central. See Center.]
Selected historical definitionRelating to the center; situated in or near the center or middle; containing the center; of or pertaining to the parts near the center; equidistant or equally accessible from certain points.
Signed record IDwebster1913-central-adjective-702ad0489450
Source locatorCIDE.C, paragraph 4421; Gutenberg eBook 661
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 661Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "central" is labeled adjective. Its etymology is recorded as: "[L. centralis, fr. centrum: cf. F. central. See Center.]" The selected historical definition says: "Relating to the center; situated in or near the center or middle; containing the center; of or pertaining to the parts near the center; equidistant or equally accessible from certain points."

Project Gutenberg Webster 1913 plus signed GNU GCIDE 0.54 Exact cross-verified historical record reviewed 2026-10-04

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

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