English
centric
Centric comes from Ancient Greek κεντρικός ‘of or belonging to a cardinal point’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ḱéntrom.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱéntrom1‘pointed tool’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kéntron1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκέντρον2‘something with a sharp point: point, spike, spur’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκεντρικός3kentrikós‘of or belonging to a cardinal point’
- Englishearliest quotation 1661centric3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κέντρον
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κεντρικός
- 3 Wiktionary, English centric
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1661, John Donne: “So we her ayres contemplate, words and heart, /…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱéntromWiktionary, Ancient Greek κέντρον‘pointed tool’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kéntronWiktionary, Ancient Greek κέντρονreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκέντρονWiktionary, Ancient Greek κεντρικός‘something with a sharp point: point, spike, spur’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκεντρικόςWiktionary, English centrickentrikós‘of or belonging to a cardinal point’
- Englishearliest quotation 1661centricWiktionary, English centric. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1661, John Donne: “So we her ayres contemplate, words and heart, /…”
Linked words
through Ancient Greek κέντρον ‘something with a sharp point: point, spike, spur’
Today it means
adj Being in the centre; central.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “centric”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek κέντρον, Ancient Greek κεντρικός. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱéntrom / centric