cent

/sɛnt/

/sɛnt/

Other forms: cents

A cent is a very small unit of money. In the US, one cent is the same thing as one penny.

A cent is 1/100 of a dollar — in other words, there are 100 cents in a dollar. Many other currencies have a cent as well, including the European Union, Estonia, and Hong Kong, representing 1/100 of the basic unit of money. The word cent comes from the Latin centum, "hundred." In Middle English, cent meant "one hundred," but by the 1600s it came to mean "one hundredth."

Definitions of cent

1. noun

   a fractional monetary unit of several countries
   type of:

   fractional monetary unit, subunit

   a monetary unit that is valued at a fraction (usually one hundredth) of the basic monetary unit

   Sri Lanka rupee, rupee

   the basic unit of money in Sri Lanka; equal to 100 cents
2. noun

   a coin worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit
   synonyms: centime, penny

   types:

   copper

   a copper penny

   new penny

   a coin used in Great Britain since 1971 worth one hundredth of a pound

   type of:

   coin

   a flat metal piece (usually a disc) used as money