Century plant

Century plant
Century Cen"tu*ry, n.; pl. {Centuries}. [L. centuria (in senses 1 & 3), fr. centum a hundred: cf. F. centurie. See {Cent}.] 1. A hundred; as, a century of sonnets; an aggregate of a hundred things. [Archaic.] [1913 Webster]

And on it said a century of prayers. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. A period of a hundred years; as, this event took place over two centuries ago. [1913 Webster]

Note: Century, in the reckoning of time, although often used in a general way of any series of hundred consecutive years (as, a century of temperance work), usually signifies a division of the Christian era, consisting of a period of one hundred years ending with the hundredth year from which it is named; as, the first century ({a}. {d}. 1-100 inclusive); the seventh century ({a}.{d}. 601-700); the eighteenth century ({a}.{d}. 1701-1800). With words or phrases connecting it with some other system of chronology it is used of similar division of those eras; as, the first century of Rome (A.U.C. 1-100). [1913 Webster]

3. (Rom. Antiq.) (a) A division of the Roman people formed according to their property, for the purpose of voting for civil officers. (b) One of sixty companies into which a legion of the army was divided. It was Commanded by a centurion. [1913 Webster]

{Century plant} (Bot.), the {Agave Americana}, formerly supposed to flower but once in a century; -- hence the name. See {Agave}.

{The Magdeburg Centuries}, an ecclesiastical history of the first thirteen centuries, arranged in thirteen volumes, compiled in the 16th century by Protestant scholars at Magdeburg. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • century plant — ☆ century plant n. a tropical American desert agave (Agave americana) having fleshy leaves and a tall stalk that bears greenish flowers only once after 10 to 30 years and then dies: mistakenly thought to bloom only once a century …   English World dictionary

  • century plant — Maguey Mag uey, n. [Sp. maguey, Mexican maguei and metl.] (Bot.) Any of several species of {Agave}, such as the {century plant} ({Agave Americana}), a plant requiring many years to come to maturity and blossoming only once before dying; and the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • century-plant — amerikinė agava statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Agavinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, vaistinis nuodingas augalas (Agave americana), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. Naudojamas svaigiesiems gėrimams gaminti. atitikmenys: lot. Agave americana angl.… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • century plant — agava statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Agavinių (Agavaceae) šeimos augalų gentis (Agave). atitikmenys: lot. Agave angl. agave; century plant vok. Agave rus. агава lenk. agawa …   Dekoratyvinių augalų vardynas

  • century plant — any New World plant of the genus Agave, requiring many years to mature and blooming once before dying, esp. the widely cultivated species A. americana, having leaves in a basal rosette and a tall flower stalk. [1755 65, Amer.] * * * or American… …   Universalium

  • century plant — /ˈsɛntʃəri plænt/ (say senchuhree plant) noun a Mexican species of agave, Agave americana, cultivated for ornament, and popularly supposed not to blossom until a century old …  

  • century plant — noun tropical American plants with basal rosettes of fibrous sword shaped leaves and flowers in tall spikes; some cultivated for ornament or for fiber • Syn: ↑agave, ↑American aloe • Hypernyms: ↑desert plant, ↑xerophyte, ↑xerophytic plant,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • century plant — cen′tury plant n. pln a desert agave, Agave americana, having a tall flower stalk emerging from a rosette of leaves, that requires a decade or more to mature and blooms only once • Etymology: 1755–65, amer …   From formal English to slang

  • century plant — noun Date: 1764 a Mexican agave (Agave americana) that takes many years to mature, flowers only once, and then dies …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • century plant — noun An agave (Agave americana) originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide. Syn: American aloe, maguey …   Wiktionary

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