Centered

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛn.təd/

Definitions

1. A position that is equally distanced from all boundaries is termed central
2. Located exactly at the midpoint between edges or boundaries ; focused firmly on a particular subject or idea
3. Placed in the exact middle or core of something ; having all attention or effort directed towards a specific task or concept

Etymology: The Greek word "kentron" originally meant a sharp point, such as a pricked stick or the point of a goad, and it came from the verb "kenteîn," meaning "to prick" or "to goad." The point of a compass or a pointed stake was the fixed spot around which a circle is drawn, and that is how the sense of "middle" entered the picture. Latin borrowed it as "centrum," and Middle French turned it into "centre," which reached Middle English as "center." Our word is simply the past tense and past participle of the verb, so it inherits all of that history: a word that began as a sharp point ended up describing the exact middle of something. The modern sense of attention gathered around one task or idea extends the same image, with focus pulled inward toward a single pivot.

Synonyms: focused, concentrated, settled, anchored, rooted

Antonyms: dispersed, scattered