French word

centaine

Pronunciation

IPA/sɑ̃tɛn/

Meaning

  • feminine nounabout a hundred

Example

Nous avons vendu une centaine de billets hier.

We sold about a hundred tickets yesterday.

Illustration for centaine (about a hundred)

More examples

Nous avons parcouru une centaine de kilomètres pendant le voyage.

We covered about a hundred kilometers during the trip.

Core concept

A single pile marked as roughly one hundred items or people.

Common phrases

  • une centaine d'euros

    about a hundred euros

  • une centaine de kilomètres

    about a hundred kilometers

Similar words

dizaine: A group or amount of about ten people or things.
douzaine: A group of about twelve things.
vingtaine: A group or amount of about twenty people or things.

Definition in French

S'utilise surtout dans l'expression «une centaine de ...» pour désigner approximativement cent éléments ou personnes.

Word origin

French formed centaine from cent and the suffix -aine, extending the exact number one hundred into an approximate group.

Usage tips

  • Although centaine is grammatically feminine and singular after une, the following noun is normally plural: une centaine de personnes.

Word lists with this word