Centones

/sɛnˈtoʊniːz/ noun

Definition

The plural of cento; multiple patchwork literary compositions made from passages taken from other works.

Etymology

From Latin 'centones' (plural of cento). This plural form appears in historical literary criticism discussing Roman and medieval poets who practiced the centonization technique extensively.

Kelly Says

Medieval monks loved making centos from the Bible—they'd rearrange verses to support their arguments, which was considered brilliant theological reasoning at the time!

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