late 14c., "solemn rite or ceremony," from Old French celebrité "celebration" or directly from Latin celibritatem (nominative celebritas) "multitude, fame," from celeber "frequented, populous" (see celebrate). The meaning "condition of being famous" is from c. 1600; that of "a famous person" is from 1849.

When the old gods withdraw, the empty thrones cry out for a successor, and with good management, or even without management, almost any perishable bag of bones may be hoisted into the vacant seat. [E.R. Dodds, "The Greeks and the Irrational"]

also coenobite, "member of a communal religious order," 1630s, from Church Latin coenobita "a cloister brother," from coenobium "a convent," from Greek koinobion "life in community, monastery," from koinos "common" (see coeno-) + bios "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live"). Related: Cenobitic; cenobitical.

word-forming element in geology to indicate more recent periods, introduced by Sir Charles Lyell (1797-1875), from Latinized form of Greek kainos "new," cognate with Latin recens (see recent). Also see Cenozoic.

1833, "to act as a censor (of news or public media);" from censor (n.). Related: Censored; censoring.

name given to a region in plant and animal cells, 1889, from German centrosoma (1888), coined by German zoologist Theodor Boveri (1862-1915), from centro- (see center (n.)) + -some (3).

1850, keramic, "of or belonging to pottery," from Greek keramikos, from keramos "potter's earth; tile; earthen vessel, jar, wine-jar, pottery," which perhaps from a pre-Hellenic word.

Watkins suggests a connection with Latin cremare "to burn," but Klein's sources are firmly against this. Beekes writes "No certain etymology," finds connection with kerasai "to mix" to be "formally unproblematic, but semantically not very convincing," and regards the proposed connection to verbs for "to burn, glow" "better from the semantic side." He concludes, "this technical term for tile-making may well be Pre-Greek (or Anatolian)."

The spelling has been influenced by French céramique (1806). Related: ceramist "person devoted to ceramic art" (1855). Ceramics "art of making things from clay molded and baked" is attested from 1857.

c. 1300, certeynte, "surety, pledge," from Anglo-French certeinté (late 13c.), Old French certainete "certainty," from Latin or Vulgar Latin *certanitatem (source of Old Spanish certanedad), from Vulgar Latin *certanus (see certain).

The meaning "that which is certain, a clear fact or truth" is attested from early 14c.; the meaning "quality or fact of being certain; full assurance of mind, exemption from doubt" is from early 15c.

1550s, "relating to outward forms or rites," also, of persons, "punctilious in matters of formality," from French cérémonieux or directly from Late Latin caerimoniosus, from Latin caerimonia "reverent rite, sacred ceremony" (see ceremony). The meaning "full of show and ceremony" is from 1610s. Related: Ceremoniously; ceremoniousness.

"head-ache," 1660s, from Latin cephalalgia, from Greek kephalalgia "head-ache," from kephalalgēs "having a head-ache;" see cephalo- + -algia. Sometimes Englished as cephalalgy. Related: Cephalalgic.

1680s, "of or pertaining to the neck," from French cervical, from Latin cervix (see cervix). The meaning "of or pertaining to the neck of the womb" attested by 1832. Related: Cervically.