Centon

/ˈsɛntɔn/ noun

Definition

An alternative or variant spelling of cento, referring to a patchwork literary composition.

Etymology

From Latin 'cento,' with the '-on' suffix appearing in some Greek and Romance language variants. This spelling is less common than 'cento' in modern English, but reflects how the term passed through different linguistic traditions.

Kelly Says

This spelling variant is so obscure that it's basically a ghost word—it appears in a few historical texts but the 'cento' spelling won out, probably because it sounded cooler!

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