epicentre

UK/ˈɛpɪˌsɛntə/US/ˈɛpɪˌsɛntɚ/

nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,154 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: epicentres

The epicentre is the point right above where a quake starts. Near the epicentre.

The quake itself begins below ground, and the epicentre is only the surface point over it. People now use epicentre for the centre of any disaster, which purists dislike.

Definitions of epicentre

1nounepicentreThe point right above where a quake starts.B2+
“The epicentre was eleven miles out to sea.”

epicentre is a point.

Also accepted in games: epicenter

Where it comes from

Greek epi, upon, plus centre; the looser sense of the centre of any crisis dates from about 1908.

Ancient Greek
ἐπί — on
English, today
epicentre

Built from

κέντρον · Ancient Greek — centre

From epi + centre, from Ancient Greek ἐπί (“on”) + κέντρον (“centre”). Sense of “center of an activity (particularly a disaster)” (1908) by generalization from earthquakes, possibly influenced by epidemic.{{cite-web |title=Is ‘Epicenter’ the Wrong Word for New York? |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/28/coronavirus-united-states-epicenter-new-york-152716 |work=Politico |first=Ben |last=

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

epicentre in the wild

Despite its proximity to the epicentre of the earthquake, Malaysia escaped the level of damage that struck countries hundreds of miles further away.
Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Malaysia
Since the epicentre was on the western coast of Sumatra, the island largely protected the country from the worst of the tsunami.
Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Malaysia
Epicenter or epicentre may also refer to: Blast seat, the point of detonation of an explosive device Epicenter (book), a 2006 book by Joel C.
Epicenter (disambiguation)
The location of the earthquake in the North Sea meant that damage was significantly less than it would have been had the epicentre been on the British mainland.
1931 Dogger Bank earthquake
The epicentre of 2009 L'Aquila earthquake was located near the communal north-eastern border.
Lucoli

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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