center

Home > ... > Social Sciences and the Law > Political Science and Government > Political Science: Terms and Concepts > ...

Essential reading Compare
side-by-side The Oxford Pocket Dictionary ... The Oxford Companion to the ... The Columbia Encyclopedia, ...

center

center in politics, a party following a middle course. The term was first used in France in 1789, when the moderates of the National Assembly sat in the center of the hall. It can refer to a separate party in a political system, e.g., the Catholic Center party of imperial and Weimar Germany, or to the middle group of a party consisting of several ideological factions.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-center" title="Facts and information about center">center</a>

Give this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"center." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"center." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 16, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-center.html

"center." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-center.html

Learn more about citation styles

Center Chair

The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States | 2005 | | Â© The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Center Chair In recent journalistic usage “center chair” refers to the chief justice of the United States, who occupies the center seat of the bench of the Supreme Court.

William M. Wiecek

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O184-CenterChair" title="Facts and information about center">center</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

KERMIT L. HALL. "Center Chair." The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. Oxford University Press. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

KERMIT L. HALL. "Center Chair." The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. Oxford University Press. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (December 16, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O184-CenterChair.html

KERMIT L. HALL. "Center Chair." The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. Oxford University Press. 2005. Retrieved December 16, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O184-CenterChair.html

Learn more about citation styles

center

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

cen·ter / ˈsentər/ (Brit. cen·tre) • n. 1. the middle point of a circle or sphere, equidistant from every point on the circumference or surface. ∎ a point or part that is equally distant from all sides, ends, or surfaces of something; the middle: the center of the ceiling. ∎ a pivot or axis of rotation: the galactic rotation of the solar system around the galactic center. ∎ a political party or group holding moderate opinions. ∎ Sports the middle player in a line or group in many games: Terry played center on the basketball team. ∎ Baseball short for center field. ∎ a core, such as the filling in a piece of chocolate: truffles with liqueur centers. ∎ a conical adjustable support for a workpiece in a lathe or similar machine. 2. a place or group of buildings where a specified activity is concentrated: a center for medical research. ∎ a point at which an activity or quality is at its most intense and from which it spreads: the city was a center of discontent. ∎ the point on which an activity or process is focused: two issues at the center of the health-care debate. ∎ the most important place in the respect specified: Geneva was then the center of the international world. • v. 1. [intr.] (center around/on) have (something) as a major concern or theme: the case centers around the couple's children. ∎ [tr.] (center something around/on) cause an argument or discussion to focus on (a specified issue): he is centering his discussion on an analysis of patterns of mortality. ∎ (be centered in) (of an activity) occur mainly in or around (a specified place). 2. [tr.] place in the middle: to center the needle, turn the knob. ∎ Football pass the ball back from the ground to another player to begin a down; snap. PHRASES: the center of attention a person or thing that draws general attention.DERIVATIVES: cen·ter·most / -ˌmōst/ adj.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O999-center" title="Facts and information about center">center</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"center." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"center." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (December 16, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-center.html

"center." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-center.html

Learn more about citation styles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauruses

Rate these entries|See all related entries

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Storm data and unusual weather phenomena.(ALABAMA-ARIZONA) Magazine article from: Storm Data; 7/1/2007
	I'll bet you made that yourself: college and university websites aren't meeting user needs or acting as effective marketing tools.(VIEWPOINT) Magazine article from: University Business; 2/1/2008
	Flagship State Colleges: public institutions serving as a rising tide to lift all boats.(FUTURE SHOCK) Magazine article from: University Business; 2/1/2008

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

	VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT:DEXTER DANIEL Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 11/18/2009; 689 words ; ...and inclusionof acceptance into the Maryland Center for Veterans Education and TrainingCenter...Courts and remain an Alumnus of the Maryland Center forVeterans Education and Training Center. In addition, I`m so blessed tobe employed...
	U.S. STRATEGY IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN:ANDREW F. KREPINEVICH Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 11/17/2009; 700+ words ; ...11-17-2009 Statement of Andrew F. Krepinevich President Center for Strategic and BudgetaryAssessments Committee on House Armed...The decision on whetherto honor this request would seem to center on the answers to two questions:first, ``What level of...
	EASTERN EUROPE AMBASSADORIAL NOMINATIONS:ELENI TSAKOPOULOS KOUNALAKIS Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 11/18/2009; 700+ words ; ...chairs - atStanford and Georgetown - in the field of Hellenism and Democracy, as wellas a lecture series at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars.The United States and Hungary have forged a strong friendship and excellentbilateral relations...
	JUDICIARY AND JUSTICE NOMINATIONS:PATRICK LEAHY Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 11/18/2009; 700+ words ; ...percent of his cases.`` TheJudiciary Committee has also received letters of strong support from theAsian American Justice Center, the Congressional Asian Pacific AmericanCaucus, the Organization of Chinese Americans, and the Japanese AmericanCitizens...
	TROOPS IN ANBAR PREPARE FOR IRAQI ELECTION Transcript from: Regulatory Intelligence Data; 11/17/2009; ; 619 words ; ...and relegatedU.S. forces to an advisory role. At the end of July, U.S. forces pulledback from Iraqi cities and urban centers, where Iraqi forces now have exclusivesecurity authority unless American forces are requested to aid operations.NO PORTION...
	FDA Eyes Nutritional Claims On Packages Transcript from: NPR All Things Considered; 10/21/2009; ; 700+ words ; ...to Michael Jacobson, who directs the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, some are not true at all. Dr. MICHAEL JACOBSON (Executive Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest): Some breakfast cereals...
	Daughters Remember Late Father, The Infamous Civil Rights Lawyer Transcript from: NPR Tell Me More; 11/19/2009; ; 700+ words ; ...the man who embraced mobster John Gotti, represented an accused New York cop shooter and a suspect in the first World Trade Center bombings. But if you are Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler, then you think of the man you loved and admired as your father...
	LONG TERM DEFENSE BUDGET TRENDS:DAVID J. BERTEAU Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 11/18/2009; 700+ words ; ...Senior Adviser, Director, Defense IndustrialInitiatives Group Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)Committee on...that are coming. My statement todaydraws from research at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.I want to begin by...
	CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS:RHONDA SANDERS Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 11/17/2009; 700+ words ; ...oforganizations such as Feeding America, The Food Research and Action Center,The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Children`s HealthWatch...age ofthree in emergency rooms and clinics at Boston Medical Center, the Universityof Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore...
	FARM CREDIT NOMINATION:JILL LONG THOMPSON Transcript from: Congressional Testimony; 11/18/2009; 683 words ; ...Development in the United States Department of Agriculture. Mostrecently, I served as CEO and Senior Fellow at the National Center forFood and Agricultural Policy. I will use these experiences and the knowledgeI have gained and apply them as a Board Member...