centum
[ˈkɛn.tũː]
centum is the Latin phrase for the number one hundred.
centum is used to denote the cardinal number 100.
Did you know?
- Latin lacks a single word for 'million', so Romans expressed larger numbers by repeating centum or using phrases like decies centena milia to mean ten hundred thousand.
- In the history of Indo-European languages, 'centum' languages (like Latin) and 'satem' languages (like Sanskrit) are grouped by how they pronounce this specific root.
- In the Roman army, a centuria was technically a unit of 100 men, but over time the size changed and often contained only 60 or 80 soldiers.
Examples in context
- In hoc libro sunt centum paginae.There are one hundred pages in this book.
- Centum denarios habet.He has one hundred denarii.
Example conversation
Lucius and Aurelia are counting coins in a market.
- LuciusQuot nummi habes, Aurelia?How many coins do you have, Aurelia?
- AureliaHabeo centum nummos.I have one hundred coins.
- LuciusId est multum pecuniae!That is a lot of money!
- AureliaIta est, Luci.It is, Lucius.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry centum, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
