centrecentre

Centre comes from Middle English center, from Middle French centre, from Latin centrum, from Ancient Greek κέντρον ‘sharp point’, from κεντέω ‘to prick’.

1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱent-¹‘to prick; point’reconstructed
2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκεντέω²kenteînas κεντεῖν‘to prick, goad’
3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκέντρον²kéntron‘sharp point, goad’
4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentrum²‘center’
5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600centre²
6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500center²
7. Englishearliest quotation 1944centre²

1. ¹ Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κεντέω
2. ² Wiktionary, English centre
3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1944, and December, Some Memories of Crewe Works—II: “So after a short spell in the brass foundry…”.