Cent Means a Hundred, Not a Hundredth
A cent is a hundredth of a dollar or euro. The Latin word behind it means one hundred.
A cent is a monetary unit worth one hundredth of a dollar, euro or similar currency. The Latin *centum* means one hundred, not one hundredth: a cent is named for how many go into the whole, not for its own size. The same logic runs through *per cent*, meaning by the hundred. The United States adopted the cent in 1792 as part of the first decimal currency of a major nation, decades before most of Europe abandoned twelfths and twentieths.
- A hundredth of a dollar. *Fifty cents.*
- Per cent — by the hundred. *Ten per cent.*
- Century — a hundred years. *A century.*
- Centipede — a hundred feet. *A centipede.*
- Latin — *centum*, a hundred. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cent | A cent. |
| Plural | cents | Cents. |
| Related | century | A century. |
| Related | percent | Percent. |
| Latin | centum | A hundred. |
- The coin is worth five cents.Money.
- Prices rose ten per cent.Proportion.
- Centum means one hundred.Etymology.
The centum family
- Century — a hundred years, or a Roman unit of a hundred men
- Centurion — the officer commanding one
- Centipede — a hundred feet, though the count varies
- Centimetre — a hundredth of a metre
- Percentage — a rate reckoned by the hundred
Latin *centum*, one hundred, through French *cent*.
Why does cent mean a hundredth if centum means a hundred?
Because it is named for how many fit into the whole. A hundred cents make a dollar.
When did the United States adopt the cent?
In 1792, as part of the first decimal currency system used by a major nation.