centurion
Meaning
an officer in the ancient roman army who was in charge of about 100 soldiers.
Structure
Usage
the centurion commanded his century with strict discipline.
in the film, the centurion was portrayed as a battle-hardened veteran.
archaeological evidence suggests a centurion's quarters were more spacious than those of ordinary soldiers.
Etymology
the word 'centurion' has a direct and logical lineage from latin. it is derived from 'centuria', meaning a group of one hundred, which itself comes from 'centum', the latin word for a hundred. the suffix '-onem' (later anglicized to '-ion') was added to form 'centurionem', denoting the commander of such a unit. thus, the term's literal meaning, "leader of a hundred," has remained semantically stable from ancient roman military organization into modern english usage, specifically referring to that historical rank.
Analysis
cent (from latin 'centum', meaning 'hundred'); urion (a latin suffix forming agent nouns, often indicating a person associated with the root).