Definition of "centrum" [cen•trum]

• The major part of a vertebra, exclusive of the bases of the neural arch. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The large expanse of medullary matter now exposed, surrounded by the convoluted margin of gray substance, is called the centrum ovale majus."
• "Six totally renovated hallways, each with 15 to 18 private (the whole facility is private) rooms extend spokelike from a centerpoint known as the centrum which itself is a major congregation area with couches, big screen television and a fireplace."
• "Thus when the basilar process of the human occipital bone is determined to be the 'centrum' or 'body' of the last cranial vertebra, its _general homology_ is enunciated."