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DictionarycenturionRoman army officer
noun

centurion

sen-CHOOR-ee-un/senˈtʃʊriən/

an officer commanding a unit of roughly one hundred soldiers in ancient Rome

The centurion directs a small group of Roman legionaries.

An early Imperial Roman centurion faces the viewer at a slight angle while directing three legionaries.
Etymology
centurionLatincommander of a centuria

Latin centurio named the head of a centuria, a Roman military unit whose name meant “group of one hundred.” The English word preserves that specific command role.

In context

The Guardian4:17
love between a Roman centurion and Jesus Christ
How ‘woke’ became a dirty word | Owen Jones Beyond the Culture Wars

More examples

  • A centurion inspected the unit’s equipment.
  • The inscription named a Roman centurion.
  • The historical novel follows a centurion posted near the frontier.

Forms

centurion · centurions