Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

ce n|tre of gra v|ity (centres of gravity ) N‑COUNT The centre of gravity of an object is a point in it. If this point is above the base of the object, it stays stable, rather than falling over.

centre|piece /se ntə ^r piːs/ (centrepieces ) in AM, use centerpiece 1 N‑COUNT The centrepiece of something is the best or most interesting part of it. □ [+ of ] The centrepiece of the plan is the idea of regular referendums, initiated by voters.

2 N‑COUNT A centrepiece is an ornament which you put in the middle of something, especially a dinner table.

ce n|tre sta ge The spellings centre-stage in British English, and center stage in American English are also used. N‑UNCOUNT [oft the N ] If something or someone takes centre stage , they become very important or noticeable. □  Nuclear proliferation has returned to centre stage in international affairs.

cen|trifu|gal force /sentr I fjʊg ^ə l fɔː ^r s/ N‑UNCOUNT In physics, centrifugal force is the force that makes objects move outwards when they are spinning around something or travelling in a curve. □  The juice is extracted by centrifugal force.

cen|tri|fuge /se ntr I fjuːdʒ/ (centrifuges ) N‑COUNT A centrifuge is a machine that spins mixtures of different substances around very quickly so that they separate by centrifugal force.

cen|trist /se ntr I st/ (centrists ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] Centrist policies and parties are moderate rather than extreme. □  He had left the movement because it had abandoned its centrist policies. ● N‑COUNT A centrist is someone with centrist views.

cen|tu|ri|on /sentjʊə riən, [AM ] -tʊr -/ (centurions ) N‑COUNT A centurion was an officer in the Roman army.

cen|tu|ry ◆◆◆ /se ntʃəri/ (centuries )

1 N‑COUNT A century is a period of a hundred years that is used when stating a date. For example, the 19th century was the period from 1801 to 1900. □  …celebrated figures of the late eighteenth century. □  …a 17th-century merchant's house.

2 N‑COUNT A century is any period of a hundred years. □  The drought there is the worst in a century.

3 N‑COUNT In cricket, a century is a score of one hundred runs or more by one batsman.

CEO ◆◇◇ /siː iː oʊ / (CEOs ) N‑COUNT CEO is an abbreviation for chief executive officer .

ce|ram|ic /s I ræ m I k/ (ceramics )

1 N‑VAR [usu N n] Ceramic is clay that has been heated to a very high temperature so that it becomes hard. □  …ceramic tiles. □  …items made from hand-painted ceramic.

2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Ceramics are ceramic ornaments or objects. □  …a collection of Chinese ceramics.

3 N‑UNCOUNT Ceramics is the art of making artistic objects out of clay.

ce|real /s I ə riəl/ (cereals )

1 N‑VAR Cereal or breakfast cereal is a food made from grain. It is mixed with milk and eaten for breakfast. □  I have a bowl of cereal every morning.

2 N‑COUNT Cereals are plants such as wheat, corn, or rice that produce grain. □  …the rich cereal-growing districts of the Paris Basin.

cere|bral /se r I brəl, [AM ] səriː brəl/

1 ADJ If you describe someone or something as cerebral , you mean that they are intellectual rather than emotional. [FORMAL ] □  Washington struck me as a precarious place from which to publish such a cerebral newspaper.

2 ADJ [ADJ n] Cerebral means relating to the brain. [MEDICAL ] □  …a cerebral haemorrhage.

ce re|bral pa l|sy N‑UNCOUNT Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by damage to a baby's brain before or during its birth, which makes its limbs and muscles permanently weak.

cer|emo|nial /se r I moʊ niəl/

1 ADJ [ADJ n] Something that is ceremonial relates to a ceremony or is used in a ceremony. □  He represented the nation on ceremonial occasions. □  Feathers of various kinds are used by Native Americans for ceremonial purposes.