transparent plastic made from nitro-celluloses and camphor, 1871, trademark name (reg. U.S.), a hybrid coined by U.S. inventor John Wesley Hyatt (1837-1900) from cellulose + Greek-based suffix -oid.
Its use as a photographic film was noted by 1889. As an adjective, "of or pertaining to motion pictures," by 1922; as a noun, figuratively, "motion pictures" from 1934. Abbreviated form cell "sheet of celluloid" is from 1933 (see cel).
"dining room," usually with reference to the room in which the Last Supper was held, c. 1400, from Old French cenacle, learned variant of cenaille (14c., Modern French cénacle), from Latin cenaculum "dining room," from cena "mid-day meal, afternoon meal," literally "portion of food" (from PIE *kert-sna-, from root *sker- (1) "to cut"). Latin cenaculum was used in the Vulgate for the "upper room" where the Last Supper was eaten. Related: Cenatical; cenation.
1530s, "one hundred" (of anything), from Latin centuria "group of one hundred" of things of one kind (including a measure of land and a division of the Roman army, one-sixteenth of a legion, headed by a centurion), from centum "hundred" (see hundred) on analogy of decuria "a company of ten."
Used in English as a division of land from late 14c., from Roman use. The Modern English meaning "period of 100 years," reckoned from any starting point, is attested from 1650s, short for century of years (1620s). Latin centuria was not used in the sense "one hundred years," for which saeculum was the word (see secular). The older, general sense is preserved in the meaning "score of 100 points" in cricket and some other sports. The century-plant (American aloe), 1843, was believed to bloom only after a century of growth.
c. 1300, "determined, fixed," from Old French certain "reliable, sure, assured" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *certanus, extended form of Latin certus "determined, resolved, fixed, settled," of things whose qualities are invariable, "established," also "placed beyond doubt, sure, true, proved; unerring, to be depended upon" (also source of Old French cert, Italian certo, Spanish cierto), originally a variant past participle of cernere "to distinguish, decide," literally "to sift, separate." This Latin verb comes from the PIE root *krei- "to sieve," thus "discriminate, distinguish," which is also the source of Greek krisis "turning point, judgment, result of a trial" (compare crisis).
The transferred sense, in reference to persons, "full of confidence in one's knowledge or judgment, made certain in reference to a matter or thing," is from mid-14c. (it also was a sense in Latin). The meaning "established as true beyond doubt" in English is from c. 1400. The meaning "indefinite, not specifically named, known but not described" is from late 14c.
Different as this seems to be from sense I, it is hardly separable from it in a large number of examples: thus, in [a certain hour], the hour was quite 'certain' or 'fixed', but it is not communicated to the reader; to him it remains, so far as his knowledge is concerned, quite indefinite; it may have been, as far as he knows, at any hour; though, as a fact, it was at a particular hour. [OED]
Lewis & Short write that Latin certus also was sometimes indefinite, "of things, the certainty of whose existence is given, but whose nature is not more definitely designated, or comes not into consideration ...."
Hence the euphemistic use, attested from mid-18c., as in woman of a certain age "an old maid;" woman of a certain description "disreputable woman;" in a certain condition "pregnant;" a certain disease "venereal disease;" of a certain weight "obese." Used with proper names from 1785, "often conveying a slight shade of disdain" [OED]. Certainer, certainest were common to c. 1750, but have fallen from proper use for some reason. Expression for certain "assuredly" is attested by early 14c.
order of marine mammals including whales, 1795, Modern Latin, from Latin cetus "any large sea creature" (whales, seals, dolphins), from Greek kētos "a whale, a sea monster," which is of unknown origin, + -acea.
late 14c., "white lead; a mixture or compound of hydrate and carbonate of lead, produced by exposing in thin plates to the vapor of vinegar" [Century Dictionary], from Old French ceruse, from Latin cerussa, "white lead." It is perhaps ultimately from a Greek or Latin word meaning "white wax" (see cere.)
The term also was applied generally to white pigments made from other ingredients, as in Trevisa's translation of Bartolomaeus: "Merours beþ y tempered wiþ tyn and white colour þat hatte cerusa. Cerusa is y made of tyn as it is y made of leed."
masc. proper name, from Latin Caecilius (fem. Caecilia), name of a Roman gens, from caecus "blind" (see caecum).
"convivial evening social visit," typically with traditional music, 1868, from Irish céilidhe, from Old Irish céle "companion," from PIE *kei-liyo-, suffixed form of root *kei- (1) "beloved, dear," primarily "to lie; bed, couch."
1753, "consisting of or resembling cells," with reference to tissue, from Modern Latin cellularis "of little cells," from cellula "little cell," diminutive of cella "small room" (see cell). Of mobile phone systems (in which the area served is divided into "cells" of a few square miles served by transmitters), 1977. Related: Cellularity.
