Centrals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Relating to or situated at the center of an area or group
2. Referring to a key or main point in a network or system
3. Describing entities that play a pivotal role within a larger organization or process

Etymology: "Centrals" is the plural of "central," which English borrowed from Latin "centrālis," meaning "of the centre." That Latin adjective was built from "centrum," the word for a centre, which in turn came from Greek "kéntron," a term for a sharp point, such as the point of a goad or a compass pin. The idea of a pointed object fixed at a single place gave rise to the idea of a centre, the spot everything else is measured from. The plural form turns the adjective into a noun for the things themselves: pieces that sit at the heart of a larger arrangement. Its use in organizational and process contexts follows the same logic as the original Latin, where "central" describes what holds the middle of a system together.