Word part · Latin root
Cent root words: meaning and 14 examples
In short
The Latin root cent (from Latin) means "hundred, or a hundredth". It is also spelled centi. Words with it include cents, percent, percents, centimeter, centimeters and centigrade. Before a measuring word it is spelled centi and means one hundredth: a centimeter is a hundredth of a meter.
- Part
- cent
- Meaning
- hundred, or a hundredth
- Origin
- Latin
- Also spelled
- centi
- Words listed
- 14
Before a measuring word it is spelled centi and means one hundredth: a centimeter is a hundredth of a meter.
Words with the Latin root cent
The list runs from shorter, common words to longer ones. The bands are a rough guide built from syllable count and how common each word is in our word list, not a grade-level standard. Read each word, then its word sum.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
Start here: short, common words (about grades 3 and 4)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| percent | per (root or base)+cent (root or base)→percent | out of every hundred |
| percents | per (root or base)+cent (root or base)+s (suffix)→percents | amounts out of every hundred |
More words: cent
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| cents | cent (root or base)+s (suffix)→cents | coins worth one hundredth of a dollar |
| centigrade | centi (root or base)+grade (root or base)→centigrade | a temperature scale with a hundred steps |
| centigram | centi (root or base)+gram (root or base)→centigram | one hundredth of a gram |
| percentage | percent (root or base)+age (suffix)→percentage | a part of a whole counted out of one hundred |
More words: century, centuries, centipede, centennial
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| centimeter | centi (root or base)+meter (root or base)→centimeter | one hundredth of a meter |
| centimeters | centi (root or base)+meter (root or base)+s (suffix)→centimeters | more than one centimeter |
| centiliter | centi (root or base)+liter (root or base)→centiliter | one hundredth of a liter |
Where does cent sit in a word?
A root can come first, last or in the middle. Students who only look at the start of a word miss half of these.
- At the start:
- cents, centimeter, centimeters, centigrade, centiliter, centigram
- At the end:
- percent, percents
How do you teach the root cent?
Cent means hundred, and the American coin makes it concrete: a cent is one hundredth of a dollar. From there, century is a hundred years and centipede is a creature said to have a hundred feet. In measurement words the spelling is centi, and it means a hundredth part: a centimeter is a hundredth of a meter. Teach both meanings together, because the math vocabulary depends on the second one.
A quick routine
Put a dollar and a penny on the table. Say, "This is a cent. A hundred of them make a dollar." Write cent, century and centipede, and ask, "Where is the hundred in each?" Then write centimeter and say, "Here centi means one hundredth. How many centimeters in a meter?" The student answers a hundred. End by sorting five cent words into hundred and hundredth.
What do students mix up with cent?
Look out for cent words that aren't about a hundred. Central, center and concentrate come from a different word meaning the middle point. Recent, decent and innocent just end with the letters c, e, n, t. A good test is to ask whether a hundred fits the meaning. If it doesn't, it's a look-alike.
For the sounds inside these words, see the phonics word lists. Routines that fit: meanings of prefixes and suffixes, circle the parts, read the base and flexible routine for big words.
Questions people ask
What does the root cent mean?
Cent means "hundred, or a hundredth". It is a Latin root, also spelled centi. Before a measuring word it is spelled centi and means one hundredth: a centimeter is a hundredth of a meter.
What are some words with the root cent?
Start with percent, percents and cent. Then move to cents, centigrade, centimeter and centimeters. This page lists 14 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
Does a centipede really have a hundred legs?
Not exactly. Most have somewhere between 30 and a few hundred legs. The name means about a hundred feet, which is close enough to have stuck.
Teach word parts with ready lessons
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