CENTURY, in a general sense, any thing divided into, or consisting of, an hundred parts.
The marquis of Worcester published a Century of inventions, (for a specimen of which, see ACOUSTICS, no 28.); and Dr Hooke has given a decimate of inventions, as part of a Century, of which he affirmed himself master. It is remarkable, that both in the century of the former, and the decimate of the latter, we find the principle on which Savary's fire or steam engine is founded. See STEAM-ENGINE.
CENTURY in antiquity. The Roman people, when they were assembled for the electing of magistrates, enacting of laws, or deliberating upon any public affair, were always divided into centuries, and voted by centuries, in order that their votes might be the more easily collected, whence these assemblies were called comitia centuriata. The Roman cohorts were also divided into centuries. See CENTURION, and COHORT.