centre¹

(US center)

noun ˈsɛntəˈsɛn(t)ər

1The point that is equally distant from every point on the circumference of a circle or sphere.
（圆或球体的）心，中心
Example sentencesExamples
- Then maintain that rhythm as you move into the center of the circle.
- The pedal of the involute of a circle, with the centre as pedal point, is a Spiral of Archimedes.
- The center of the circle or sphere is the position of the n-mer.
- She pushes it and the apple moves around her head as she stands still in the center of the circle created by its movement.
- His tall, gaunt, black-robed form was bent over the center of the circle, absorbed in something that only he could see.
- Stepping into the center of the circle, she rotated, her feet blurring and her floor-length skirt lifting to her knees.
- Any point on a straight line segment between points x and y is the point in common between two circles with centers x and y that have no interior points in common.
- Certain courageous souls might spend the night keeping watch in the center of a circle of standing stones.
- Soon enough, the entire assembly of players had converged on the area around the oak, each straining to see into the center of the circle.
- Then c is the centre of the circle circumscribing the desired heptagon, and the construction is easily completed.
- Measure its diameter (the width across the center of circle) with the ruler.
- He then produced the talisman he had made, a large, deep-blue crystal held in the center of a circle of dark leather a span across.
- I nodded and stood up, making my way towards the center of the circle.
- This same man walked to the center of the circle of seats now and held his arms high so everyone could see him.
- What is intriguing is that if we wish to determine the circle centers, we can do so as well.
- His model was the epicycle-deferent model where the motion of the heavenly bodies was circular, but based on a number of circles whose centres travelled around circles.
- A single shaft of sunlight penetrated the canopy above, shining a yellow beam into the center of the circle.
- She was so angered by this thought that she had changed forms and was halfway to the center of the circle before she realized what she was doing.
- In crustacean larval eyes, the receptor array is tightly bunched into a sphere surrounding the geometrical center of the eye.
- Kepler could not solve the problem but he believed that the densest packing of spheres would be attained if in each layer the centres of the spheres were above the centres of the holes in the layer below.
1. 1.1 A point or part that is equally distant from all sides, ends, or surfaces of something.
  中心，中心点，中央
  the centre of the ceiling
  天花板的中心。
  the city centre
  城市的中心。
  Example sentencesExamples
  The center of the pole was thickest, the other two points tapering slightly before ending at a sharp point.
  The membrane normal is oriented along the z axis, and the center of the bilayer is at Z = 0 A.
  When touring the blues clubs of Chicago, it is best to stay around the centre and the north side of the city.
  Purchase a headlight for the front of your bike, and then attach it to the center of your handlebars or another location of your choosing.
  The mouth leads to the intestine and anus, which is located in the center of the aboral surface in regular echinoids.
  Mark a circle in the center of the paper to allow the air to pass through.
  A strong wind blew against his face as he walked into a dark room that was only lit by two simple torches side by side in the center of the square.
  The peak in the center of this surface represented the large estimate of genetic variance in the E3 environment.
  This focusing of force is illustrated by the circle in the center of Figure 4.
  Although this design does not border the field, it does have the advantage of intersecting the pivot head in the center of the field.
  Touch the top center and the two side panels on the right at the same time.
  Now the advantage of our car is that you can just put the rear seats down and lay everything out as it was in the centre and pull down side seats and carry on in a civilized manner.
  Each bike has the same measurement from saddle tip to the center of the stem/handlebar.
  In the center of the hilt, above the blade, sat a lovely purple gem.
  Tyler walked over to the console and gripped the wheel attached to the center.
  Construction began with the assembly of a cylindrical structure deeply embedded in the center of the flat side of the asteroid.
  The centre pleat on each side is a deep inverted box pleat which opens out when something largish is carried inside the bag.
  The zippers are in the under surface at the centre and near to each cross boom end for inspection purposes.
  The divine figure suckling adolescents, the widest plaque and situated almost in the center, dominates this side.
  Thenix admitted, dialing his order into the pad on the center of the table.
  Synonyms
  middle, nucleus, heart, core, hub, pivot, kernel, eye, bosom
  middle point, midpoint, halfway point, mean, median
  interior
  depths, thick, bullseye, focus, focal point, cynosure
2. 1.2 A political party or group whose opinions avoid extremes.
  中间党派（或团体）
  as modifier a new centre party
  Example sentencesExamples
  Several people wrote to suggest that the Democrats actually are the center party these days, and there's a lot of truth in that.
  The SDLP could offer to form a coalition with the unionists and centre parties, without Sinn Fein.
  The first round of the French presidential election showed the extent of the collapse of the centre parties.
  That's always been the objective of left of centre political parties.
  The main points of the manifesto leave us in doubt that New Labour is at best a centre party and at worst, the Tories, except more organised.
  In England this has been affected by the rise of the centre party, in Scotland and Wales by the rise of nationalism.
  If anyone's interested in donating a billion dollars to start up a nice sensible party of the center, just leave your email in comments.
  He also borrowed from the playbooks of Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair by marching his party to the center.
  As the only true centre party in this Parliament, New Zealand First wants to propose something new and different.
  I ask that that member refer to this party, perhaps, as a party of the centre.
  In Italy the working class is represented both by a centre New Labour type party and by the more radical Rifondazione Comunista.
  Though still opposing racism, he was moving to the political centre.
  Andrew Murray's statement today makes it certain a new centre party will emerge from the rubble of the Democrats.
  Although Kinnock began on the left, he took the Labour Party into the political centre.
  These results are a sign of one side of the polarisation in European politics to the right and the left as the parties of the centre are seen not to deliver.
  Clinton was dragging his party closer to the center.
  The party is often seen as a centre party because of its commitment to a mixed economy.
  He has moved the Democratic party to the dynamic centre and much of the country has gone along.
  In contrast, all the parties running from the centre through to the right are voting for a sensible approach and growth.
  But Giscard and Barre had difficulty in convincing the centre parties of the necessity of such policies.
3. 1.3 The middle player in a line or group in certain team games.
  （某些球赛中的）中锋
  Example sentencesExamples
  Only two players - centers Erick Dampier and Adonal Foyle - have been with the team longer than Richardson and power forward Troy Murphy.
  The only question is whether he can handle the line calls a center must make.
  The team also believes it is easier for McFarland to shed a center's block by lining up at an angle.
  Although the offensive line is without a center, it still is a formidable group.
  Two centers earned NBA Players of the Week awards for their performance last week.
4. 1.4Basketball The player who is positioned near the basket and is typically tallest on the team.
  only 10 centers averaged more than 10 points per game last year
5. 1.5 A kick, hit, or throw of the ball from the side to the middle of field in soccer, hockey, and other team games.
  传中（足球、曲棍球及其他球赛中将球从场边踢、击或扔向场中）
6. 1.6 The filling in a chocolate.
  巧克力夹心
  truffles with liqueur centres
  块菌状酒心巧克力。
  Example sentencesExamples
  Cool slightly, but serve still warm so the chocolate centre is still melted.
  Flatten each ball, put one part of filling in the centre and cover it to make an oval ball.
  A chocolate bar unfortunately unavailable in the US, milk chocolate with little caramel centres.
  Here's the ‘correct’ answer: The chocolate centers of ‘plain’ M&Ms are cast in little molds.
  In the confectionery industry today, fruit pastes appear to have been reduced to a minor role as centres for fondant, chocolates, and dragées.
7. 1.7 A pivot or axis of rotation.
  转枢，转轴
  Example sentencesExamples
  The trouble is that these polygons don't have a fixed center of rotation.
  When objects move in circles of any size and at any speed, they create a new force that pushes outward, away from the center of rotation.
  The defender's leg could be likened to a pendulum with the hip as the center of rotation.
  But suppose that as time goes on, all the black holes in a given galaxy eventually fall into a central black hole at the galactic center.
  The centres of rotation of these semicircular flows travel down the body.
  An alternate proof may be obtained by holding edge AD fixed in the plane and using the Descartes principle of instantaneous centers of rotation.
  Arp's evidence for galaxy formation by ejection of quasars from the centres of active galactic nuclei is extremely compelling.
  The center of rotation for the displacement is located above the structure and in the waterside.
  He thus moved the universe from a Copernican Sun-centered system to a Sun located far from the galactic center in one of the spiral arms.
  A passenger rides in one of seven cars, each mounted near the edge of its own circular platform but free to pivot about the center.
  In fact, all the stars are moving, in orbit around the galactic center and also shifting relative to each other with their own peculiar velocity components.
  A more exotic model posits the existence of small black holes not far from the supermassive one at the galactic center.
  When a top spins, both the center and the circumference spin.
  The elevator suddenly stopped in relation to the rotating centre of the mother ship.
  In addition, reducing or eliminating the force produced by the inside wing alters the center of rotation of the roll.
  The effect of the torque depends on where, between the center of rotation and the outermost point, the initial force is applied.
  Synonyms
  pivot, axis, fulcrum, centre point
8. 1.8 A conical adjustable support for a workpiece in a lathe or similar machine.
  （车床等用于支承加工部件的圆锥形）顶针
  Example sentencesExamples
  A center is also used to support longer work pieces where the cutting forces would deflect the work excessively, reducing the finish and accuracy of the workpiece, or creating a hazardous situation.
  The term between centers refers to any machining operation where the job needs to be performed using centers.
  The primary use of a center in metalworking is to ensure concentric work is produced, this allows the workpiece to be transferred between operations without any loss of accuracy.
2The point from which an activity or process is directed, or on which it is focused.
（某活动或过程的）关注点，焦点，中心
the city was a centre of discontent
该市是不满情绪最为强烈的地区。
the managing director is at the centre of a row over policy
该局长身处政策争议中心。
Example sentencesExamples
- It became a centre of the slave trade from the 16th century onwards.
- Where once the Habsburg provinces had been among the most stable in Italy, they now became a centre of agitation.
- Times Square, normally a centre of frenetic activity, was deserted.
- She belonged to a Benedictine monastery in Gundersheim which was a center of intellectual and religious activity.
- Pumbeditha was for centuries a center of Jewish religious/intellectual activity.
- He was very gregarious and his home became a centre of activity for a variety of pursuits.
- St. Wolfgang became a centre of operetta in the twentieth century.
- In most towns the bus station is a center of activity, lying near the market and itself filled with vendors.
- The city is widely considered to be a centre of militant activity.
- But the idea is to cover media, advertising and the arts and to promote Melbourne as a centre of creativity.
- He added that helping to transform Iraq into a centre of progress and peace ‘will make America safer’.
- Lucknow was a centre of culture, celebrated for its poetry, drama, music and art.
- On your average weekday, it lives up to its reputation as a centre of culture.
- Coventry developed from a significant centre of production to a centre of motor car activity by the beginning of the First World War.
- Warsaw, which fell to Russia, became a centre of ballet activity.
- However, for almost two centuries after Jesus' death, Bethlehem was a centre of paganism.
- As a centre of art, Naples has played a major role in Italy since the end of the 13th century.
- It shows that we can build on Kilkenny's heritage as a centre of medieval creativity.
- We now need to consolidate and put Ireland on the map as a centre of post-production excellence.
- In fact it was seen as a centre of academic excellence.
Synonyms
foundation, basis, keystone, mainspring, mainstay, linchpin, bedrock, fundament, base, key, fundamental principle, main ingredient, central component, centrepiece, core, heart, focus, crux, prop, backbone, anchor
1. 2.1 The most important place in the respect specified.
  （某方面）最重要的地方
  Geneva was then the centre of the banking world
  日内瓦那时是国际社会的中心。
  Example sentencesExamples
  But the mechanisms that insulated the centres of power from democratic control affected the Labour Party too, right from the start.
  Scotland is the centre of international attention more than at any time since it hosted the Commonwealth Games 20 years ago.
  The dark areas on the surface are eruption centres.
  As a result, new centres of power have surfaced.
  People reported that in many areas the Marxist forums had proved a great success and had become centres of political debate.
3A place or group of buildings where a specified activity is concentrated.
（特定活动的）集中之处，中心
a conference centre
会议中心。
Example sentencesExamples
- Instead of plying the expressways, they now circle the inspection centres for confused accident victims to go to them.
- Problems of language also surfaced at the refuge centres.
- The disused school building could be a centre for the community to meet and for visitors to gather.
- Morgan may have to wait months to find a rotation in a dialysis center with the care available at MCP.
- When play for the day was abandoned, Howell presented himself at the media centre for a press conference.
- More than one hundred local women were employed in the manufacture of these items at various South Side social centers.
- Moore spent much of the week sitting next to Jimmy Carter in a private part of the convention centre's dress circle.
- A bus pass is recommended if you are going to bus to classes four out of five days a week and don't forget side treks to commercial centres for food, clothing and other necessities.
- John injured his knee and could not continue running to keep fit for his judo so the pair, who had always trained together, moved indoors onto the rowing machines at local fitness centres.
- Company headquarters range from call and IT support centres to new technology research subsidiaries and biotech hubs.
- It will sell charity goods and film memorabilia, and will also double as an activity centre for terminally ill children.
- Hours away from Houston, our community is filling centers and churches; my daughter talks of the girl from New Orleans new to her class.
- He will also carry out tests in the Dungarvan test centre while on rotation from Waterford.
- There will also be a heavy goods testing centre, filling station and car wash.
- Lismore Council's parks manager Neil Moreton inspects the new surface around the transit centre.
- Located in 19 cities, the centers are designed to open up the vast resources of the Internet to gays and lesbians nationwide.
- Comprehensive information on adoption in England, including contact details for adoption agencies, post-adoption centres and support groups.
- The army has arrested several local party leaders and raided the party's documentation centre.
- It is envisaged as a fully accessible cultural building and a centre for excellence in innovation.
- A network of 15 centres could support about 22,000 of the 100,000 asylum seekers who come to Britain each year.
Synonyms
establishment, installation, place, depot, station, location, premises, site, post, base, camp

verb ˈsɛntəˈsɛn(t)ər

1centre around/on" or "centre something around/onno object Occur mainly in or around (a specified place)
（活动）集中于（某地）
the textile industry was centred in Lancashire and Yorkshire
纺织工业集中于兰开夏郡及约克郡。
Example sentencesExamples
- Their commitment to using regional production companies to make their programmes has ensured that the talent base has remained widespread and not centred in one particular city.
- But, at the moment, see I'm very much centred in the city because I'm busy.
- More than 27,000 Australian and US personnel are participating in the biennial drill centred in central Queensland.
- A number of Jewish pressure groups, mainly centred in North America called for the book to be pulped.
- It was actually formed by a number of scholars, mainly centred in Trinity College in Cambridge.
- The cancer centre is centred in Sligo and cares for patients in the surrounding counties - Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal, Mayo and West Cavan.
- This old established family firm, with ten shops throughout the city and others centred in Haxby, Scarborough, Knaresborough and Leeds, served thousands of regular customers each week.
- MidCentral District Health Board, centred in Palmerston North, does this successfully.
- Since 1990, the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary have provided a day service, centred in Abbeyleix, for adults with intellectual disability.
- Consequently, by 1815 the countryside was again as rural as it had been a century earlier, and a reconstructed textile industry was later centred in towns.
1. 1.1centre around/on" or "centre something around/on Have or cause to have (a specified concern or theme)
  the case centres around the couple's adopted children
  此案的焦点是这对夫妇收养的孩子们。
  with object he is centring his discussion on an analysis of patterns of mortality
  他把论述的重点放在对死亡方式的分析上。
  Example sentencesExamples
  Most of the discussions have centred around the future of the team and which players should be eligible to play for them.
  The idea of a film project centring on her and her music seemed to make great sense.
  His plan centers on increased support for renewable energy and for alternative motor fuels made from corn and soybeans.
  The focus-group discussions centered around perceived risks and benefits of early pregnancy.
  Synonyms
  focus, concentrate, pivot, hinge, be based
  revolve around, have as its starting point
2with object Place in the middle.
放在中央（位置）
to centre the needle, turn the knob
要将指针移至中央位置时，转动旋钮即可。
Example sentencesExamples
- These pressure distributions apply a side force to the hammer piston which strives to center the hammer piston in the guide.
- Place the keg on the scale and tilt it on its edge centering it in the middle of the scale.
- Center the nail in the nail slot and drive the nail straight in.
1. 2.1no object (in soccer, hockey, and other team games) kick, hit, or throw the ball from the side to the middle of the playing area.
  （足球、曲棍球及其他球赛中）把球传至场中；传中
  he centred from a difficult position on the left
  Example sentencesExamples
  James centered the ball for Macauley to finish with a header, but Mariano intervened and prevented a goal.
  The Hacketstown defence has not been itself of late and they were again found wanting when Wesley Maher manoeuvred his way to the end line before centring for Paddy Whelan to give Town the lead in the 18th minute.
  In just the sixth minute of play Larkin beat her defender on the right side of the field and centered the ball to junior forward Fellows.
  "The player that centred the ball for Allen to score the equaliser was Richardson," he said.
2. 2.2North American no object Play as the middle player of a line or group in certain team games.
  （某些球赛中的）中锋
  Example sentencesExamples
  Quinn used two lines against that line, one centered by Mario Lemieux and the other by Joe Sakic.
  The Sedins likely will play with two-way winger Trent Klatt, whom they played with in training camp, and another line probably will be centered by creative sophomore Harold Druken.
  In the meantime, Brad Chartrand is centering the Vlasak-Palffy line.
  A former Penguin will center Jagr's line, but except for on the power play, it won't be Lang.
  The new Grumpy Old Men line of veterans Kirk Muller, Mike Keane and John MacLean became a real defensive weapon, joining productive lines centered by Mike Modano and Joe Nieuwendyk.

Derivatives

centremost

adjective

We planted about five seeds per pot and thinned to the centermost individual after most seeds had germinated, but did not explicitly measure germination rates or subsequent mortality.
Example sentencesExamples
- While any bud - or any twig resulting from it - has the potential to become a leader, usually the centermost one will have assumed leadership by spring.
- But it's hidden in the centermost room - and if you complete my puzzles and find the shard, I'll set you free unconditionally.
- A single, solitary tear fell from her eye, then landed on the centermost part of the rose.
- Well, I want to hear it, because the morality of this country is centermost in my mind.

Origin

Late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin centrum, from Greek kentron 'sharp point, stationary point of a pair of compasses', related to kentein 'to prick'.

When you draw a circle with a pair of compasses, you use the point on one of the arms to prick a dot in the centre of the circle. The Greek word kentron meant ‘sharp point’, specifically the one on a pair of compasses, and for this reason the words descended from it, including the English centre, came to refer to the centre of a circle. What is now the American form center is in fact the older spelling, found in the works of Shakespeare. It was Dr Johnson's dictionary in 1755 that established centre as the preferred British spelling. Concentrate (mid 17th century) literally ‘centre together’ reached English via Latin.

Centre²

proper nounsɑ̃tʀˈsɒ̃tr(ə)

A region of central France, including the cities of Orleans, Tours, and Chartres.

Definition of center in US English:

center

(British centre)

nounˈsen(t)ərˈsɛn(t)ər

1The middle point of a circle or sphere, equidistant from every point on the circumference or surface.
（圆或球体的）心，中心
Example sentencesExamples
- I nodded and stood up, making my way towards the center of the circle.
- What is intriguing is that if we wish to determine the circle centers, we can do so as well.
- She pushes it and the apple moves around her head as she stands still in the center of the circle created by its movement.
- In crustacean larval eyes, the receptor array is tightly bunched into a sphere surrounding the geometrical center of the eye.
- Certain courageous souls might spend the night keeping watch in the center of a circle of standing stones.
- The center of the circle or sphere is the position of the n-mer.
- Stepping into the center of the circle, she rotated, her feet blurring and her floor-length skirt lifting to her knees.
- The pedal of the involute of a circle, with the centre as pedal point, is a Spiral of Archimedes.
- Soon enough, the entire assembly of players had converged on the area around the oak, each straining to see into the center of the circle.
- Any point on a straight line segment between points x and y is the point in common between two circles with centers x and y that have no interior points in common.
- He then produced the talisman he had made, a large, deep-blue crystal held in the center of a circle of dark leather a span across.
- His tall, gaunt, black-robed form was bent over the center of the circle, absorbed in something that only he could see.
- His model was the epicycle-deferent model where the motion of the heavenly bodies was circular, but based on a number of circles whose centres travelled around circles.
- This same man walked to the center of the circle of seats now and held his arms high so everyone could see him.
- Kepler could not solve the problem but he believed that the densest packing of spheres would be attained if in each layer the centres of the spheres were above the centres of the holes in the layer below.
- Measure its diameter (the width across the center of circle) with the ruler.
- Then maintain that rhythm as you move into the center of the circle.
- A single shaft of sunlight penetrated the canopy above, shining a yellow beam into the center of the circle.
- Then c is the centre of the circle circumscribing the desired heptagon, and the construction is easily completed.
- She was so angered by this thought that she had changed forms and was halfway to the center of the circle before she realized what she was doing.
1. 1.1 A point or part that is equally distant from all sides, ends, or surfaces of something.
  中心，中心点，中央
  the center of the ceiling
  天花板的中心。
  the center of a vast territory
  Example sentencesExamples
  The zippers are in the under surface at the centre and near to each cross boom end for inspection purposes.
  The membrane normal is oriented along the z axis, and the center of the bilayer is at Z = 0 A.
  The peak in the center of this surface represented the large estimate of genetic variance in the E3 environment.
  Each bike has the same measurement from saddle tip to the center of the stem/handlebar.
  The mouth leads to the intestine and anus, which is located in the center of the aboral surface in regular echinoids.
  Tyler walked over to the console and gripped the wheel attached to the center.
  The center of the pole was thickest, the other two points tapering slightly before ending at a sharp point.
  Touch the top center and the two side panels on the right at the same time.
  Although this design does not border the field, it does have the advantage of intersecting the pivot head in the center of the field.
  In the center of the hilt, above the blade, sat a lovely purple gem.
  When touring the blues clubs of Chicago, it is best to stay around the centre and the north side of the city.
  Mark a circle in the center of the paper to allow the air to pass through.
  The divine figure suckling adolescents, the widest plaque and situated almost in the center, dominates this side.
  Construction began with the assembly of a cylindrical structure deeply embedded in the center of the flat side of the asteroid.
  The centre pleat on each side is a deep inverted box pleat which opens out when something largish is carried inside the bag.
  Now the advantage of our car is that you can just put the rear seats down and lay everything out as it was in the centre and pull down side seats and carry on in a civilized manner.
  A strong wind blew against his face as he walked into a dark room that was only lit by two simple torches side by side in the center of the square.
  Thenix admitted, dialing his order into the pad on the center of the table.
  This focusing of force is illustrated by the circle in the center of Figure 4.
  Purchase a headlight for the front of your bike, and then attach it to the center of your handlebars or another location of your choosing.
  Synonyms
  middle, nucleus, heart, core, hub, pivot, kernel, eye, bosom
2. 1.2 A political party or group holding moderate opinions.
  中间党派（或团体）
  Example sentencesExamples
  In contrast, all the parties running from the centre through to the right are voting for a sensible approach and growth.
  Although Kinnock began on the left, he took the Labour Party into the political centre.
  Clinton was dragging his party closer to the center.
  Though still opposing racism, he was moving to the political centre.
  That's always been the objective of left of centre political parties.
  But Giscard and Barre had difficulty in convincing the centre parties of the necessity of such policies.
  Several people wrote to suggest that the Democrats actually are the center party these days, and there's a lot of truth in that.
  As the only true centre party in this Parliament, New Zealand First wants to propose something new and different.
  The party is often seen as a centre party because of its commitment to a mixed economy.
  In Italy the working class is represented both by a centre New Labour type party and by the more radical Rifondazione Comunista.
  These results are a sign of one side of the polarisation in European politics to the right and the left as the parties of the centre are seen not to deliver.
  I ask that that member refer to this party, perhaps, as a party of the centre.
  He has moved the Democratic party to the dynamic centre and much of the country has gone along.
  The main points of the manifesto leave us in doubt that New Labour is at best a centre party and at worst, the Tories, except more organised.
  Andrew Murray's statement today makes it certain a new centre party will emerge from the rubble of the Democrats.
  He also borrowed from the playbooks of Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair by marching his party to the center.
  The SDLP could offer to form a coalition with the unionists and centre parties, without Sinn Fein.
  The first round of the French presidential election showed the extent of the collapse of the centre parties.
  In England this has been affected by the rise of the centre party, in Scotland and Wales by the rise of nationalism.
  If anyone's interested in donating a billion dollars to start up a nice sensible party of the center, just leave your email in comments.
3. 1.3 (in many sports) the middle player in a line or group.
  many coaches instruct their center to charge viciously on all plays
  Example sentencesExamples
  Although the offensive line is without a center, it still is a formidable group.
  The team also believes it is easier for McFarland to shed a center's block by lining up at an angle.
  Two centers earned NBA Players of the Week awards for their performance last week.
  The only question is whether he can handle the line calls a center must make.
  Only two players - centers Erick Dampier and Adonal Foyle - have been with the team longer than Richardson and power forward Troy Murphy.
4. 1.4Basketball The player who is positioned near the basket and is typically tallest on the team.
  only 10 centers averaged more than 10 points per game last year
5. 1.5 A core, such as the filling in a piece of chocolate.
  巧克力夹心
  truffles with liqueur centers
  块菌状酒心巧克力。
  Example sentencesExamples
  Here's the ‘correct’ answer: The chocolate centers of ‘plain’ M&Ms are cast in little molds.
  In the confectionery industry today, fruit pastes appear to have been reduced to a minor role as centres for fondant, chocolates, and dragées.
  Flatten each ball, put one part of filling in the centre and cover it to make an oval ball.
  A chocolate bar unfortunately unavailable in the US, milk chocolate with little caramel centres.
  Cool slightly, but serve still warm so the chocolate centre is still melted.
6. 1.6 A pivot or axis of rotation.
  转枢，转轴
  the galactic rotation of the solar system around the galactic center
  Example sentencesExamples
  The centres of rotation of these semicircular flows travel down the body.
  Arp's evidence for galaxy formation by ejection of quasars from the centres of active galactic nuclei is extremely compelling.
  The center of rotation for the displacement is located above the structure and in the waterside.
  The effect of the torque depends on where, between the center of rotation and the outermost point, the initial force is applied.
  The defender's leg could be likened to a pendulum with the hip as the center of rotation.
  The elevator suddenly stopped in relation to the rotating centre of the mother ship.
  In addition, reducing or eliminating the force produced by the inside wing alters the center of rotation of the roll.
  A passenger rides in one of seven cars, each mounted near the edge of its own circular platform but free to pivot about the center.
  A more exotic model posits the existence of small black holes not far from the supermassive one at the galactic center.
  When a top spins, both the center and the circumference spin.
  But suppose that as time goes on, all the black holes in a given galaxy eventually fall into a central black hole at the galactic center.
  The trouble is that these polygons don't have a fixed center of rotation.
  When objects move in circles of any size and at any speed, they create a new force that pushes outward, away from the center of rotation.
  In fact, all the stars are moving, in orbit around the galactic center and also shifting relative to each other with their own peculiar velocity components.
  An alternate proof may be obtained by holding edge AD fixed in the plane and using the Descartes principle of instantaneous centers of rotation.
  He thus moved the universe from a Copernican Sun-centered system to a Sun located far from the galactic center in one of the spiral arms.
  Synonyms
  pivot, axis, fulcrum, centre, centre point
7. 1.7Baseball
  he flied out to center
  short for center field
8. 1.8 A conical adjustable support for a workpiece in a lathe or similar machine.
  （车床等用于支承加工部件的圆锥形）顶针
  Example sentencesExamples
  The primary use of a center in metalworking is to ensure concentric work is produced, this allows the workpiece to be transferred between operations without any loss of accuracy.
  A center is also used to support longer work pieces where the cutting forces would deflect the work excessively, reducing the finish and accuracy of the workpiece, or creating a hazardous situation.
  The term between centers refers to any machining operation where the job needs to be performed using centers.
2The point from which an activity or process is directed, or on which it is focused.
（某活动或过程的）关注点，焦点，中心
the city was a center of discontent
该市是不满情绪最为强烈的地区。
two issues at the center of the health-care debate
Example sentencesExamples
- However, for almost two centuries after Jesus' death, Bethlehem was a centre of paganism.
- Times Square, normally a centre of frenetic activity, was deserted.
- Lucknow was a centre of culture, celebrated for its poetry, drama, music and art.
- Where once the Habsburg provinces had been among the most stable in Italy, they now became a centre of agitation.
- In most towns the bus station is a center of activity, lying near the market and itself filled with vendors.
- As a centre of art, Naples has played a major role in Italy since the end of the 13th century.
- She belonged to a Benedictine monastery in Gundersheim which was a center of intellectual and religious activity.
- He added that helping to transform Iraq into a centre of progress and peace ‘will make America safer’.
- On your average weekday, it lives up to its reputation as a centre of culture.
- The city is widely considered to be a centre of militant activity.
- He was very gregarious and his home became a centre of activity for a variety of pursuits.
- It shows that we can build on Kilkenny's heritage as a centre of medieval creativity.
- Coventry developed from a significant centre of production to a centre of motor car activity by the beginning of the First World War.
- Pumbeditha was for centuries a center of Jewish religious/intellectual activity.
- In fact it was seen as a centre of academic excellence.
- St. Wolfgang became a centre of operetta in the twentieth century.
- It became a centre of the slave trade from the 16th century onwards.
- Warsaw, which fell to Russia, became a centre of ballet activity.
- But the idea is to cover media, advertising and the arts and to promote Melbourne as a centre of creativity.
- We now need to consolidate and put Ireland on the map as a centre of post-production excellence.
Synonyms
foundation, basis, keystone, mainspring, mainstay, linchpin, bedrock, fundament, base, key, fundamental principle, main ingredient, central component, centrepiece, core, heart, centre, focus, crux, prop, backbone, anchor
1. 2.1 The most important place in the respect specified.
  （某方面）最重要的地方
  Geneva was then the center of the international world
  日内瓦那时是国际社会的中心。
  Example sentencesExamples
  People reported that in many areas the Marxist forums had proved a great success and had become centres of political debate.
  As a result, new centres of power have surfaced.
  But the mechanisms that insulated the centres of power from democratic control affected the Labour Party too, right from the start.
  The dark areas on the surface are eruption centres.
  Scotland is the centre of international attention more than at any time since it hosted the Commonwealth Games 20 years ago.
3A place or group of buildings where a specified activity is concentrated.
（特定活动的）集中之处，中心
a center for medical research
医学研究中心。
a shopping center
Example sentencesExamples
- Company headquarters range from call and IT support centres to new technology research subsidiaries and biotech hubs.
- Located in 19 cities, the centers are designed to open up the vast resources of the Internet to gays and lesbians nationwide.
- Moore spent much of the week sitting next to Jimmy Carter in a private part of the convention centre's dress circle.
- The disused school building could be a centre for the community to meet and for visitors to gather.
- It is envisaged as a fully accessible cultural building and a centre for excellence in innovation.
- John injured his knee and could not continue running to keep fit for his judo so the pair, who had always trained together, moved indoors onto the rowing machines at local fitness centres.
- Hours away from Houston, our community is filling centers and churches; my daughter talks of the girl from New Orleans new to her class.
- It will sell charity goods and film memorabilia, and will also double as an activity centre for terminally ill children.
- There will also be a heavy goods testing centre, filling station and car wash.
- A network of 15 centres could support about 22,000 of the 100,000 asylum seekers who come to Britain each year.
- He will also carry out tests in the Dungarvan test centre while on rotation from Waterford.
- Instead of plying the expressways, they now circle the inspection centres for confused accident victims to go to them.
- A bus pass is recommended if you are going to bus to classes four out of five days a week and don't forget side treks to commercial centres for food, clothing and other necessities.
- When play for the day was abandoned, Howell presented himself at the media centre for a press conference.
- Morgan may have to wait months to find a rotation in a dialysis center with the care available at MCP.
- Problems of language also surfaced at the refuge centres.
- Lismore Council's parks manager Neil Moreton inspects the new surface around the transit centre.
- More than one hundred local women were employed in the manufacture of these items at various South Side social centers.
- Comprehensive information on adoption in England, including contact details for adoption agencies, post-adoption centres and support groups.
- The army has arrested several local party leaders and raided the party's documentation centre.
Synonyms
establishment, centre, installation, place, depot, station, location, premises, site, post, base, camp

verbˈsen(t)ərˈsɛn(t)ər

1be centered inno object Have or cause to have something as (a major concern or theme)
把…作为主要问题，以…为主题
the case centers around the couple's adopted children
此案的焦点是这对夫妇收养的孩子们。
the plot centers on two young men
with object he is centering his discussion on an analysis of patterns of mortality
他把论述的重点放在对死亡方式的分析上。
Example sentencesExamples
- The idea of a film project centring on her and her music seemed to make great sense.
- The focus-group discussions centered around perceived risks and benefits of early pregnancy.
- His plan centers on increased support for renewable energy and for alternative motor fuels made from corn and soybeans.
- Most of the discussions have centred around the future of the team and which players should be eligible to play for them.
Synonyms
focus, concentrate, pivot, hinge, be based
1. 1.1be centered in (of an activity) occur mainly in or around (a specified place)
  （活动）集中于（某地）
  the mercantile association was centered in northern Germany
  Example sentencesExamples
  A number of Jewish pressure groups, mainly centred in North America called for the book to be pulped.
  But, at the moment, see I'm very much centred in the city because I'm busy.
  More than 27,000 Australian and US personnel are participating in the biennial drill centred in central Queensland.
  Consequently, by 1815 the countryside was again as rural as it had been a century earlier, and a reconstructed textile industry was later centred in towns.
  It was actually formed by a number of scholars, mainly centred in Trinity College in Cambridge.
  This old established family firm, with ten shops throughout the city and others centred in Haxby, Scarborough, Knaresborough and Leeds, served thousands of regular customers each week.
  Their commitment to using regional production companies to make their programmes has ensured that the talent base has remained widespread and not centred in one particular city.
  MidCentral District Health Board, centred in Palmerston North, does this successfully.
  The cancer centre is centred in Sligo and cares for patients in the surrounding counties - Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal, Mayo and West Cavan.
  Since 1990, the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary have provided a day service, centred in Abbeyleix, for adults with intellectual disability.
2with object Place in the middle.
放在中央（位置）
to center the needle, turn the knob
要将指针移至中央位置时，转动旋钮即可。
Example sentencesExamples
- These pressure distributions apply a side force to the hammer piston which strives to center the hammer piston in the guide.
- Center the nail in the nail slot and drive the nail straight in.
- Place the keg on the scale and tilt it on its edge centering it in the middle of the scale.
1. 2.1American Football Pass the ball back from the ground to another player to begin a down; snap.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Most long snappers look straight ahead right before they center the ball.
  Patrik Elias centered a pass back to Arnott for the goal in double-overtime that made New Jersey the champions for the second time in six years.
  They will pass or center the ball back and forth until a fair assessment has been made for each individual.

Usage

The construction center around (as opposed to center on, or revolve around) has been denounced as incorrect and illogical since it first appeared in the mid 19th century. Although the phrase is common, it defies geometry by confusing the orbit with the fixed point: the earth revolves around (or its revolution centers on) the sun. A careful writer will use a precise expression, such as centers on, revolves around, concerns, or involves

Origin

Late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin centrum, from Greek kentron ‘sharp point, stationary point of a pair of compasses’, related to kentein ‘to prick’.

词汇	centre
释义	centre¹ (US center) noun ˈsɛntəˈsɛn(t)ər 1The point that is equally distant from every point on the circumference of a circle or sphere. （圆或球体的）心，中心 Example sentencesExamples Then maintain that rhythm as you move into the center of the circle. The pedal of the involute of a circle, with the centre as pedal point, is a Spiral of Archimedes. The center of the circle or sphere is the position of the n-mer. She pushes it and the apple moves around her head as she stands still in the center of the circle created by its movement. His tall, gaunt, black-robed form was bent over the center of the circle, absorbed in something that only he could see. Stepping into the center of the circle, she rotated, her feet blurring and her floor-length skirt lifting to her knees. Any point on a straight line segment between points x and y is the point in common between two circles with centers x and y that have no interior points in common. Certain courageous souls might spend the night keeping watch in the center of a circle of standing stones. Soon enough, the entire assembly of players had converged on the area around the oak, each straining to see into the center of the circle. Then c is the centre of the circle circumscribing the desired heptagon, and the construction is easily completed. Measure its diameter (the width across the center of circle) with the ruler. He then produced the talisman he had made, a large, deep-blue crystal held in the center of a circle of dark leather a span across. I nodded and stood up, making my way towards the center of the circle. This same man walked to the center of the circle of seats now and held his arms high so everyone could see him. What is intriguing is that if we wish to determine the circle centers, we can do so as well. His model was the epicycle-deferent model where the motion of the heavenly bodies was circular, but based on a number of circles whose centres travelled around circles. A single shaft of sunlight penetrated the canopy above, shining a yellow beam into the center of the circle. She was so angered by this thought that she had changed forms and was halfway to the center of the circle before she realized what she was doing. In crustacean larval eyes, the receptor array is tightly bunched into a sphere surrounding the geometrical center of the eye. Kepler could not solve the problem but he believed that the densest packing of spheres would be attained if in each layer the centres of the spheres were above the centres of the holes in the layer below. 1.1 A point or part that is equally distant from all sides, ends, or surfaces of something. 中心，中心点，中央 the centre of the ceiling 天花板的中心。 the city centre 城市的中心。 Example sentencesExamples The center of the pole was thickest, the other two points tapering slightly before ending at a sharp point. The membrane normal is oriented along the z axis, and the center of the bilayer is at Z = 0 A. When touring the blues clubs of Chicago, it is best to stay around the centre and the north side of the city. Purchase a headlight for the front of your bike, and then attach it to the center of your handlebars or another location of your choosing. The mouth leads to the intestine and anus, which is located in the center of the aboral surface in regular echinoids. Mark a circle in the center of the paper to allow the air to pass through. A strong wind blew against his face as he walked into a dark room that was only lit by two simple torches side by side in the center of the square. The peak in the center of this surface represented the large estimate of genetic variance in the E3 environment. This focusing of force is illustrated by the circle in the center of Figure 4. Although this design does not border the field, it does have the advantage of intersecting the pivot head in the center of the field. Touch the top center and the two side panels on the right at the same time. Now the advantage of our car is that you can just put the rear seats down and lay everything out as it was in the centre and pull down side seats and carry on in a civilized manner. Each bike has the same measurement from saddle tip to the center of the stem/handlebar. In the center of the hilt, above the blade, sat a lovely purple gem. Tyler walked over to the console and gripped the wheel attached to the center. Construction began with the assembly of a cylindrical structure deeply embedded in the center of the flat side of the asteroid. The centre pleat on each side is a deep inverted box pleat which opens out when something largish is carried inside the bag. The zippers are in the under surface at the centre and near to each cross boom end for inspection purposes. The divine figure suckling adolescents, the widest plaque and situated almost in the center, dominates this side. Thenix admitted, dialing his order into the pad on the center of the table. Synonyms middle, nucleus, heart, core, hub, pivot, kernel, eye, bosom middle point, midpoint, halfway point, mean, median interior depths, thick, bullseye, focus, focal point, cynosure 1.2 A political party or group whose opinions avoid extremes. 中间党派（或团体） as modifier a new centre party Example sentencesExamples Several people wrote to suggest that the Democrats actually are the center party these days, and there's a lot of truth in that. The SDLP could offer to form a coalition with the unionists and centre parties, without Sinn Fein. The first round of the French presidential election showed the extent of the collapse of the centre parties. That's always been the objective of left of centre political parties. The main points of the manifesto leave us in doubt that New Labour is at best a centre party and at worst, the Tories, except more organised. In England this has been affected by the rise of the centre party, in Scotland and Wales by the rise of nationalism. If anyone's interested in donating a billion dollars to start up a nice sensible party of the center, just leave your email in comments. He also borrowed from the playbooks of Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair by marching his party to the center. As the only true centre party in this Parliament, New Zealand First wants to propose something new and different. I ask that that member refer to this party, perhaps, as a party of the centre. In Italy the working class is represented both by a centre New Labour type party and by the more radical Rifondazione Comunista. Though still opposing racism, he was moving to the political centre. Andrew Murray's statement today makes it certain a new centre party will emerge from the rubble of the Democrats. Although Kinnock began on the left, he took the Labour Party into the political centre. These results are a sign of one side of the polarisation in European politics to the right and the left as the parties of the centre are seen not to deliver. Clinton was dragging his party closer to the center. The party is often seen as a centre party because of its commitment to a mixed economy. He has moved the Democratic party to the dynamic centre and much of the country has gone along. In contrast, all the parties running from the centre through to the right are voting for a sensible approach and growth. But Giscard and Barre had difficulty in convincing the centre parties of the necessity of such policies. 1.3 The middle player in a line or group in certain team games. （某些球赛中的）中锋 Example sentencesExamples Only two players - centers Erick Dampier and Adonal Foyle - have been with the team longer than Richardson and power forward Troy Murphy. The only question is whether he can handle the line calls a center must make. The team also believes it is easier for McFarland to shed a center's block by lining up at an angle. Although the offensive line is without a center, it still is a formidable group. Two centers earned NBA Players of the Week awards for their performance last week. 1.4Basketball The player who is positioned near the basket and is typically tallest on the team. only 10 centers averaged more than 10 points per game last year 1.5 A kick, hit, or throw of the ball from the side to the middle of field in soccer, hockey, and other team games. 传中（足球、曲棍球及其他球赛中将球从场边踢、击或扔向场中） 1.6 The filling in a chocolate. 巧克力夹心 truffles with liqueur centres 块菌状酒心巧克力。 Example sentencesExamples Cool slightly, but serve still warm so the chocolate centre is still melted. Flatten each ball, put one part of filling in the centre and cover it to make an oval ball. A chocolate bar unfortunately unavailable in the US, milk chocolate with little caramel centres. Here's the ‘correct’ answer: The chocolate centers of ‘plain’ M&Ms are cast in little molds. In the confectionery industry today, fruit pastes appear to have been reduced to a minor role as centres for fondant, chocolates, and dragées. 1.7 A pivot or axis of rotation. 转枢，转轴 Example sentencesExamples The trouble is that these polygons don't have a fixed center of rotation. When objects move in circles of any size and at any speed, they create a new force that pushes outward, away from the center of rotation. The defender's leg could be likened to a pendulum with the hip as the center of rotation. But suppose that as time goes on, all the black holes in a given galaxy eventually fall into a central black hole at the galactic center. The centres of rotation of these semicircular flows travel down the body. An alternate proof may be obtained by holding edge AD fixed in the plane and using the Descartes principle of instantaneous centers of rotation. Arp's evidence for galaxy formation by ejection of quasars from the centres of active galactic nuclei is extremely compelling. The center of rotation for the displacement is located above the structure and in the waterside. He thus moved the universe from a Copernican Sun-centered system to a Sun located far from the galactic center in one of the spiral arms. A passenger rides in one of seven cars, each mounted near the edge of its own circular platform but free to pivot about the center. In fact, all the stars are moving, in orbit around the galactic center and also shifting relative to each other with their own peculiar velocity components. A more exotic model posits the existence of small black holes not far from the supermassive one at the galactic center. When a top spins, both the center and the circumference spin. The elevator suddenly stopped in relation to the rotating centre of the mother ship. In addition, reducing or eliminating the force produced by the inside wing alters the center of rotation of the roll. The effect of the torque depends on where, between the center of rotation and the outermost point, the initial force is applied. Synonyms pivot, axis, fulcrum, centre point 1.8 A conical adjustable support for a workpiece in a lathe or similar machine. （车床等用于支承加工部件的圆锥形）顶针 Example sentencesExamples A center is also used to support longer work pieces where the cutting forces would deflect the work excessively, reducing the finish and accuracy of the workpiece, or creating a hazardous situation. The term between centers refers to any machining operation where the job needs to be performed using centers. The primary use of a center in metalworking is to ensure concentric work is produced, this allows the workpiece to be transferred between operations without any loss of accuracy. 2The point from which an activity or process is directed, or on which it is focused. （某活动或过程的）关注点，焦点，中心 the city was a centre of discontent 该市是不满情绪最为强烈的地区。 the managing director is at the centre of a row over policy 该局长身处政策争议中心。 Example sentencesExamples It became a centre of the slave trade from the 16th century onwards. Where once the Habsburg provinces had been among the most stable in Italy, they now became a centre of agitation. Times Square, normally a centre of frenetic activity, was deserted. She belonged to a Benedictine monastery in Gundersheim which was a center of intellectual and religious activity. Pumbeditha was for centuries a center of Jewish religious/intellectual activity. He was very gregarious and his home became a centre of activity for a variety of pursuits. St. Wolfgang became a centre of operetta in the twentieth century. In most towns the bus station is a center of activity, lying near the market and itself filled with vendors. The city is widely considered to be a centre of militant activity. But the idea is to cover media, advertising and the arts and to promote Melbourne as a centre of creativity. He added that helping to transform Iraq into a centre of progress and peace ‘will make America safer’. Lucknow was a centre of culture, celebrated for its poetry, drama, music and art. On your average weekday, it lives up to its reputation as a centre of culture. Coventry developed from a significant centre of production to a centre of motor car activity by the beginning of the First World War. Warsaw, which fell to Russia, became a centre of ballet activity. However, for almost two centuries after Jesus' death, Bethlehem was a centre of paganism. As a centre of art, Naples has played a major role in Italy since the end of the 13th century. It shows that we can build on Kilkenny's heritage as a centre of medieval creativity. We now need to consolidate and put Ireland on the map as a centre of post-production excellence. In fact it was seen as a centre of academic excellence. Synonyms foundation, basis, keystone, mainspring, mainstay, linchpin, bedrock, fundament, base, key, fundamental principle, main ingredient, central component, centrepiece, core, heart, focus, crux, prop, backbone, anchor 2.1 The most important place in the respect specified. （某方面）最重要的地方 Geneva was then the centre of the banking world 日内瓦那时是国际社会的中心。 Example sentencesExamples But the mechanisms that insulated the centres of power from democratic control affected the Labour Party too, right from the start. Scotland is the centre of international attention more than at any time since it hosted the Commonwealth Games 20 years ago. The dark areas on the surface are eruption centres. As a result, new centres of power have surfaced. People reported that in many areas the Marxist forums had proved a great success and had become centres of political debate. 3A place or group of buildings where a specified activity is concentrated. （特定活动的）集中之处，中心 a conference centre 会议中心。 Example sentencesExamples Instead of plying the expressways, they now circle the inspection centres for confused accident victims to go to them. Problems of language also surfaced at the refuge centres. The disused school building could be a centre for the community to meet and for visitors to gather. Morgan may have to wait months to find a rotation in a dialysis center with the care available at MCP. When play for the day was abandoned, Howell presented himself at the media centre for a press conference. More than one hundred local women were employed in the manufacture of these items at various South Side social centers. Moore spent much of the week sitting next to Jimmy Carter in a private part of the convention centre's dress circle. A bus pass is recommended if you are going to bus to classes four out of five days a week and don't forget side treks to commercial centres for food, clothing and other necessities. John injured his knee and could not continue running to keep fit for his judo so the pair, who had always trained together, moved indoors onto the rowing machines at local fitness centres. Company headquarters range from call and IT support centres to new technology research subsidiaries and biotech hubs. It will sell charity goods and film memorabilia, and will also double as an activity centre for terminally ill children. Hours away from Houston, our community is filling centers and churches; my daughter talks of the girl from New Orleans new to her class. He will also carry out tests in the Dungarvan test centre while on rotation from Waterford. There will also be a heavy goods testing centre, filling station and car wash. Lismore Council's parks manager Neil Moreton inspects the new surface around the transit centre. Located in 19 cities, the centers are designed to open up the vast resources of the Internet to gays and lesbians nationwide. Comprehensive information on adoption in England, including contact details for adoption agencies, post-adoption centres and support groups. The army has arrested several local party leaders and raided the party's documentation centre. It is envisaged as a fully accessible cultural building and a centre for excellence in innovation. A network of 15 centres could support about 22,000 of the 100,000 asylum seekers who come to Britain each year. Synonyms establishment, installation, place, depot, station, location, premises, site, post, base, camp verb ˈsɛntəˈsɛn(t)ər 1centre around/on" or "centre something around/onno object Occur mainly in or around (a specified place) （活动）集中于（某地） the textile industry was centred in Lancashire and Yorkshire 纺织工业集中于兰开夏郡及约克郡。 Example sentencesExamples Their commitment to using regional production companies to make their programmes has ensured that the talent base has remained widespread and not centred in one particular city. But, at the moment, see I'm very much centred in the city because I'm busy. More than 27,000 Australian and US personnel are participating in the biennial drill centred in central Queensland. A number of Jewish pressure groups, mainly centred in North America called for the book to be pulped. It was actually formed by a number of scholars, mainly centred in Trinity College in Cambridge. The cancer centre is centred in Sligo and cares for patients in the surrounding counties - Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal, Mayo and West Cavan. This old established family firm, with ten shops throughout the city and others centred in Haxby, Scarborough, Knaresborough and Leeds, served thousands of regular customers each week. MidCentral District Health Board, centred in Palmerston North, does this successfully. Since 1990, the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary have provided a day service, centred in Abbeyleix, for adults with intellectual disability. Consequently, by 1815 the countryside was again as rural as it had been a century earlier, and a reconstructed textile industry was later centred in towns. 1.1centre around/on" or "centre something around/on Have or cause to have (a specified concern or theme) the case centres around the couple's adopted children 此案的焦点是这对夫妇收养的孩子们。 with object he is centring his discussion on an analysis of patterns of mortality 他把论述的重点放在对死亡方式的分析上。 Example sentencesExamples Most of the discussions have centred around the future of the team and which players should be eligible to play for them. The idea of a film project centring on her and her music seemed to make great sense. His plan centers on increased support for renewable energy and for alternative motor fuels made from corn and soybeans. The focus-group discussions centered around perceived risks and benefits of early pregnancy. Synonyms focus, concentrate, pivot, hinge, be based revolve around, have as its starting point 2with object Place in the middle. 放在中央（位置） to centre the needle, turn the knob 要将指针移至中央位置时，转动旋钮即可。 Example sentencesExamples These pressure distributions apply a side force to the hammer piston which strives to center the hammer piston in the guide. Place the keg on the scale and tilt it on its edge centering it in the middle of the scale. Center the nail in the nail slot and drive the nail straight in. 2.1no object (in soccer, hockey, and other team games) kick, hit, or throw the ball from the side to the middle of the playing area. （足球、曲棍球及其他球赛中）把球传至场中；传中 he centred from a difficult position on the left Example sentencesExamples James centered the ball for Macauley to finish with a header, but Mariano intervened and prevented a goal. The Hacketstown defence has not been itself of late and they were again found wanting when Wesley Maher manoeuvred his way to the end line before centring for Paddy Whelan to give Town the lead in the 18th minute. In just the sixth minute of play Larkin beat her defender on the right side of the field and centered the ball to junior forward Fellows. "The player that centred the ball for Allen to score the equaliser was Richardson," he said. 2.2North American no object Play as the middle player of a line or group in certain team games. （某些球赛中的）中锋 Example sentencesExamples Quinn used two lines against that line, one centered by Mario Lemieux and the other by Joe Sakic. The Sedins likely will play with two-way winger Trent Klatt, whom they played with in training camp, and another line probably will be centered by creative sophomore Harold Druken. In the meantime, Brad Chartrand is centering the Vlasak-Palffy line. A former Penguin will center Jagr's line, but except for on the power play, it won't be Lang. The new Grumpy Old Men line of veterans Kirk Muller, Mike Keane and John MacLean became a real defensive weapon, joining productive lines centered by Mike Modano and Joe Nieuwendyk. Derivatives centremost adjective We planted about five seeds per pot and thinned to the centermost individual after most seeds had germinated, but did not explicitly measure germination rates or subsequent mortality. Example sentencesExamples While any bud - or any twig resulting from it - has the potential to become a leader, usually the centermost one will have assumed leadership by spring. But it's hidden in the centermost room - and if you complete my puzzles and find the shard, I'll set you free unconditionally. A single, solitary tear fell from her eye, then landed on the centermost part of the rose. Well, I want to hear it, because the morality of this country is centermost in my mind. Origin Late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin centrum, from Greek kentron 'sharp point, stationary point of a pair of compasses', related to kentein 'to prick'. When you draw a circle with a pair of compasses, you use the point on one of the arms to prick a dot in the centre of the circle. The Greek word kentron meant ‘sharp point’, specifically the one on a pair of compasses, and for this reason the words descended from it, including the English centre, came to refer to the centre of a circle. What is now the American form center is in fact the older spelling, found in the works of Shakespeare. It was Dr Johnson's dictionary in 1755 that established centre as the preferred British spelling. Concentrate (mid 17th century) literally ‘centre together’ reached English via Latin. Centre² proper nounsɑ̃tʀˈsɒ̃tr(ə) A region of central France, including the cities of Orleans, Tours, and Chartres. noun.1 name.1 Definition of center in US English: center (British centre) nounˈsen(t)ərˈsɛn(t)ər 1The middle point of a circle or sphere, equidistant from every point on the circumference or surface. （圆或球体的）心，中心 Example sentencesExamples I nodded and stood up, making my way towards the center of the circle. What is intriguing is that if we wish to determine the circle centers, we can do so as well. She pushes it and the apple moves around her head as she stands still in the center of the circle created by its movement. In crustacean larval eyes, the receptor array is tightly bunched into a sphere surrounding the geometrical center of the eye. Certain courageous souls might spend the night keeping watch in the center of a circle of standing stones. The center of the circle or sphere is the position of the n-mer. Stepping into the center of the circle, she rotated, her feet blurring and her floor-length skirt lifting to her knees. The pedal of the involute of a circle, with the centre as pedal point, is a Spiral of Archimedes. Soon enough, the entire assembly of players had converged on the area around the oak, each straining to see into the center of the circle. Any point on a straight line segment between points x and y is the point in common between two circles with centers x and y that have no interior points in common. He then produced the talisman he had made, a large, deep-blue crystal held in the center of a circle of dark leather a span across. His tall, gaunt, black-robed form was bent over the center of the circle, absorbed in something that only he could see. His model was the epicycle-deferent model where the motion of the heavenly bodies was circular, but based on a number of circles whose centres travelled around circles. This same man walked to the center of the circle of seats now and held his arms high so everyone could see him. Kepler could not solve the problem but he believed that the densest packing of spheres would be attained if in each layer the centres of the spheres were above the centres of the holes in the layer below. Measure its diameter (the width across the center of circle) with the ruler. Then maintain that rhythm as you move into the center of the circle. A single shaft of sunlight penetrated the canopy above, shining a yellow beam into the center of the circle. Then c is the centre of the circle circumscribing the desired heptagon, and the construction is easily completed. She was so angered by this thought that she had changed forms and was halfway to the center of the circle before she realized what she was doing. 1.1 A point or part that is equally distant from all sides, ends, or surfaces of something. 中心，中心点，中央 the center of the ceiling 天花板的中心。 the center of a vast territory Example sentencesExamples The zippers are in the under surface at the centre and near to each cross boom end for inspection purposes. The membrane normal is oriented along the z axis, and the center of the bilayer is at Z = 0 A. The peak in the center of this surface represented the large estimate of genetic variance in the E3 environment. Each bike has the same measurement from saddle tip to the center of the stem/handlebar. The mouth leads to the intestine and anus, which is located in the center of the aboral surface in regular echinoids. Tyler walked over to the console and gripped the wheel attached to the center. The center of the pole was thickest, the other two points tapering slightly before ending at a sharp point. Touch the top center and the two side panels on the right at the same time. Although this design does not border the field, it does have the advantage of intersecting the pivot head in the center of the field. In the center of the hilt, above the blade, sat a lovely purple gem. When touring the blues clubs of Chicago, it is best to stay around the centre and the north side of the city. Mark a circle in the center of the paper to allow the air to pass through. The divine figure suckling adolescents, the widest plaque and situated almost in the center, dominates this side. Construction began with the assembly of a cylindrical structure deeply embedded in the center of the flat side of the asteroid. The centre pleat on each side is a deep inverted box pleat which opens out when something largish is carried inside the bag. Now the advantage of our car is that you can just put the rear seats down and lay everything out as it was in the centre and pull down side seats and carry on in a civilized manner. A strong wind blew against his face as he walked into a dark room that was only lit by two simple torches side by side in the center of the square. Thenix admitted, dialing his order into the pad on the center of the table. This focusing of force is illustrated by the circle in the center of Figure 4. Purchase a headlight for the front of your bike, and then attach it to the center of your handlebars or another location of your choosing. Synonyms middle, nucleus, heart, core, hub, pivot, kernel, eye, bosom 1.2 A political party or group holding moderate opinions. 中间党派（或团体） Example sentencesExamples In contrast, all the parties running from the centre through to the right are voting for a sensible approach and growth. Although Kinnock began on the left, he took the Labour Party into the political centre. Clinton was dragging his party closer to the center. Though still opposing racism, he was moving to the political centre. That's always been the objective of left of centre political parties. But Giscard and Barre had difficulty in convincing the centre parties of the necessity of such policies. Several people wrote to suggest that the Democrats actually are the center party these days, and there's a lot of truth in that. As the only true centre party in this Parliament, New Zealand First wants to propose something new and different. The party is often seen as a centre party because of its commitment to a mixed economy. In Italy the working class is represented both by a centre New Labour type party and by the more radical Rifondazione Comunista. These results are a sign of one side of the polarisation in European politics to the right and the left as the parties of the centre are seen not to deliver. I ask that that member refer to this party, perhaps, as a party of the centre. He has moved the Democratic party to the dynamic centre and much of the country has gone along. The main points of the manifesto leave us in doubt that New Labour is at best a centre party and at worst, the Tories, except more organised. Andrew Murray's statement today makes it certain a new centre party will emerge from the rubble of the Democrats. He also borrowed from the playbooks of Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair by marching his party to the center. The SDLP could offer to form a coalition with the unionists and centre parties, without Sinn Fein. The first round of the French presidential election showed the extent of the collapse of the centre parties. In England this has been affected by the rise of the centre party, in Scotland and Wales by the rise of nationalism. If anyone's interested in donating a billion dollars to start up a nice sensible party of the center, just leave your email in comments. 1.3 (in many sports) the middle player in a line or group. many coaches instruct their center to charge viciously on all plays Example sentencesExamples Although the offensive line is without a center, it still is a formidable group. The team also believes it is easier for McFarland to shed a center's block by lining up at an angle. Two centers earned NBA Players of the Week awards for their performance last week. The only question is whether he can handle the line calls a center must make. Only two players - centers Erick Dampier and Adonal Foyle - have been with the team longer than Richardson and power forward Troy Murphy. 1.4Basketball The player who is positioned near the basket and is typically tallest on the team. only 10 centers averaged more than 10 points per game last year 1.5 A core, such as the filling in a piece of chocolate. 巧克力夹心 truffles with liqueur centers 块菌状酒心巧克力。 Example sentencesExamples Here's the ‘correct’ answer: The chocolate centers of ‘plain’ M&Ms are cast in little molds. In the confectionery industry today, fruit pastes appear to have been reduced to a minor role as centres for fondant, chocolates, and dragées. Flatten each ball, put one part of filling in the centre and cover it to make an oval ball. A chocolate bar unfortunately unavailable in the US, milk chocolate with little caramel centres. Cool slightly, but serve still warm so the chocolate centre is still melted. 1.6 A pivot or axis of rotation. 转枢，转轴 the galactic rotation of the solar system around the galactic center Example sentencesExamples The centres of rotation of these semicircular flows travel down the body. Arp's evidence for galaxy formation by ejection of quasars from the centres of active galactic nuclei is extremely compelling. The center of rotation for the displacement is located above the structure and in the waterside. The effect of the torque depends on where, between the center of rotation and the outermost point, the initial force is applied. The defender's leg could be likened to a pendulum with the hip as the center of rotation. The elevator suddenly stopped in relation to the rotating centre of the mother ship. In addition, reducing or eliminating the force produced by the inside wing alters the center of rotation of the roll. A passenger rides in one of seven cars, each mounted near the edge of its own circular platform but free to pivot about the center. A more exotic model posits the existence of small black holes not far from the supermassive one at the galactic center. When a top spins, both the center and the circumference spin. But suppose that as time goes on, all the black holes in a given galaxy eventually fall into a central black hole at the galactic center. The trouble is that these polygons don't have a fixed center of rotation. When objects move in circles of any size and at any speed, they create a new force that pushes outward, away from the center of rotation. In fact, all the stars are moving, in orbit around the galactic center and also shifting relative to each other with their own peculiar velocity components. An alternate proof may be obtained by holding edge AD fixed in the plane and using the Descartes principle of instantaneous centers of rotation. He thus moved the universe from a Copernican Sun-centered system to a Sun located far from the galactic center in one of the spiral arms. Synonyms pivot, axis, fulcrum, centre, centre point 1.7Baseball he flied out to center short for center field 1.8 A conical adjustable support for a workpiece in a lathe or similar machine. （车床等用于支承加工部件的圆锥形）顶针 Example sentencesExamples The primary use of a center in metalworking is to ensure concentric work is produced, this allows the workpiece to be transferred between operations without any loss of accuracy. A center is also used to support longer work pieces where the cutting forces would deflect the work excessively, reducing the finish and accuracy of the workpiece, or creating a hazardous situation. The term between centers refers to any machining operation where the job needs to be performed using centers. 2The point from which an activity or process is directed, or on which it is focused. （某活动或过程的）关注点，焦点，中心 the city was a center of discontent 该市是不满情绪最为强烈的地区。 two issues at the center of the health-care debate Example sentencesExamples However, for almost two centuries after Jesus' death, Bethlehem was a centre of paganism. Times Square, normally a centre of frenetic activity, was deserted. Lucknow was a centre of culture, celebrated for its poetry, drama, music and art. Where once the Habsburg provinces had been among the most stable in Italy, they now became a centre of agitation. In most towns the bus station is a center of activity, lying near the market and itself filled with vendors. As a centre of art, Naples has played a major role in Italy since the end of the 13th century. She belonged to a Benedictine monastery in Gundersheim which was a center of intellectual and religious activity. He added that helping to transform Iraq into a centre of progress and peace ‘will make America safer’. On your average weekday, it lives up to its reputation as a centre of culture. The city is widely considered to be a centre of militant activity. He was very gregarious and his home became a centre of activity for a variety of pursuits. It shows that we can build on Kilkenny's heritage as a centre of medieval creativity. Coventry developed from a significant centre of production to a centre of motor car activity by the beginning of the First World War. Pumbeditha was for centuries a center of Jewish religious/intellectual activity. In fact it was seen as a centre of academic excellence. St. Wolfgang became a centre of operetta in the twentieth century. It became a centre of the slave trade from the 16th century onwards. Warsaw, which fell to Russia, became a centre of ballet activity. But the idea is to cover media, advertising and the arts and to promote Melbourne as a centre of creativity. We now need to consolidate and put Ireland on the map as a centre of post-production excellence. Synonyms foundation, basis, keystone, mainspring, mainstay, linchpin, bedrock, fundament, base, key, fundamental principle, main ingredient, central component, centrepiece, core, heart, centre, focus, crux, prop, backbone, anchor 2.1 The most important place in the respect specified. （某方面）最重要的地方 Geneva was then the center of the international world 日内瓦那时是国际社会的中心。 Example sentencesExamples People reported that in many areas the Marxist forums had proved a great success and had become centres of political debate. As a result, new centres of power have surfaced. But the mechanisms that insulated the centres of power from democratic control affected the Labour Party too, right from the start. The dark areas on the surface are eruption centres. Scotland is the centre of international attention more than at any time since it hosted the Commonwealth Games 20 years ago. 3A place or group of buildings where a specified activity is concentrated. （特定活动的）集中之处，中心 a center for medical research 医学研究中心。 a shopping center Example sentencesExamples Company headquarters range from call and IT support centres to new technology research subsidiaries and biotech hubs. Located in 19 cities, the centers are designed to open up the vast resources of the Internet to gays and lesbians nationwide. Moore spent much of the week sitting next to Jimmy Carter in a private part of the convention centre's dress circle. The disused school building could be a centre for the community to meet and for visitors to gather. It is envisaged as a fully accessible cultural building and a centre for excellence in innovation. John injured his knee and could not continue running to keep fit for his judo so the pair, who had always trained together, moved indoors onto the rowing machines at local fitness centres. Hours away from Houston, our community is filling centers and churches; my daughter talks of the girl from New Orleans new to her class. It will sell charity goods and film memorabilia, and will also double as an activity centre for terminally ill children. There will also be a heavy goods testing centre, filling station and car wash. A network of 15 centres could support about 22,000 of the 100,000 asylum seekers who come to Britain each year. He will also carry out tests in the Dungarvan test centre while on rotation from Waterford. Instead of plying the expressways, they now circle the inspection centres for confused accident victims to go to them. A bus pass is recommended if you are going to bus to classes four out of five days a week and don't forget side treks to commercial centres for food, clothing and other necessities. When play for the day was abandoned, Howell presented himself at the media centre for a press conference. Morgan may have to wait months to find a rotation in a dialysis center with the care available at MCP. Problems of language also surfaced at the refuge centres. Lismore Council's parks manager Neil Moreton inspects the new surface around the transit centre. More than one hundred local women were employed in the manufacture of these items at various South Side social centers. Comprehensive information on adoption in England, including contact details for adoption agencies, post-adoption centres and support groups. The army has arrested several local party leaders and raided the party's documentation centre. Synonyms establishment, centre, installation, place, depot, station, location, premises, site, post, base, camp verbˈsen(t)ərˈsɛn(t)ər 1be centered inno object Have or cause to have something as (a major concern or theme) 把…作为主要问题，以…为主题 the case centers around the couple's adopted children 此案的焦点是这对夫妇收养的孩子们。 the plot centers on two young men with object he is centering his discussion on an analysis of patterns of mortality 他把论述的重点放在对死亡方式的分析上。 Example sentencesExamples The idea of a film project centring on her and her music seemed to make great sense. The focus-group discussions centered around perceived risks and benefits of early pregnancy. His plan centers on increased support for renewable energy and for alternative motor fuels made from corn and soybeans. Most of the discussions have centred around the future of the team and which players should be eligible to play for them. Synonyms focus, concentrate, pivot, hinge, be based 1.1be centered in (of an activity) occur mainly in or around (a specified place) （活动）集中于（某地） the mercantile association was centered in northern Germany Example sentencesExamples A number of Jewish pressure groups, mainly centred in North America called for the book to be pulped. But, at the moment, see I'm very much centred in the city because I'm busy. More than 27,000 Australian and US personnel are participating in the biennial drill centred in central Queensland. Consequently, by 1815 the countryside was again as rural as it had been a century earlier, and a reconstructed textile industry was later centred in towns. It was actually formed by a number of scholars, mainly centred in Trinity College in Cambridge. This old established family firm, with ten shops throughout the city and others centred in Haxby, Scarborough, Knaresborough and Leeds, served thousands of regular customers each week. Their commitment to using regional production companies to make their programmes has ensured that the talent base has remained widespread and not centred in one particular city. MidCentral District Health Board, centred in Palmerston North, does this successfully. The cancer centre is centred in Sligo and cares for patients in the surrounding counties - Leitrim, Roscommon, Donegal, Mayo and West Cavan. Since 1990, the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary have provided a day service, centred in Abbeyleix, for adults with intellectual disability. 2with object Place in the middle. 放在中央（位置） to center the needle, turn the knob 要将指针移至中央位置时，转动旋钮即可。 Example sentencesExamples These pressure distributions apply a side force to the hammer piston which strives to center the hammer piston in the guide. Center the nail in the nail slot and drive the nail straight in. Place the keg on the scale and tilt it on its edge centering it in the middle of the scale. 2.1American Football Pass the ball back from the ground to another player to begin a down; snap. Example sentencesExamples Most long snappers look straight ahead right before they center the ball. Patrik Elias centered a pass back to Arnott for the goal in double-overtime that made New Jersey the champions for the second time in six years. They will pass or center the ball back and forth until a fair assessment has been made for each individual. Usage The construction center around (as opposed to center on, or revolve around) has been denounced as incorrect and illogical since it first appeared in the mid 19th century. Although the phrase is common, it defies geometry by confusing the orbit with the fixed point: the earth revolves around (or its revolution centers on) the sun. A careful writer will use a precise expression, such as centers on, revolves around, concerns, or involves Origin Late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin centrum, from Greek kentron ‘sharp point, stationary point of a pair of compasses’, related to kentein ‘to prick’.
随便看	fall into decay fall into disrepair fall into lap fall into line fall into line fall into place fall into place fall into sb's lap fall into somebody's lap fall into someone's lap fall into step fall into step fall into the wrong hands fall in with fall in with fall in with fall-less fall line fall off fall-off fall (off) primogeniturist primo levi primo-prime primo-primitive

centre1

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Centre2

Definition of center in US English:

center

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centre¹

Centre²