power centrepower centern.
/ˈpaʊə ˌsɛntə/, U.S. /ˈpaʊ(ə)r ˌsɛn(t)ər/ 1. = power station n. at power n.1 Compounds 1c. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical power, electricity > place of power generation > [noun]
powerhouse1870
power plant1871
installation1882
power station1887
substation1887
power centre1892
coal plant1894
power unit1904
nuke1969
1892 Chicago Tribune 4 Mar. 2/2 We shall build a power center at least a mile distant from the business center of the city.
1983 U.S. News & World Rep. (Nexis) 14 Mar. 65 Cogeneration, the combined output of electricity and useful thermal energy at a single power center, holds out bright prospects.
2005 Vietnam News Briefs (Nexis) 8 Apr. The Phu My power center started operation in 1997 and has so far supplied more than 41 billion kWh of electricity to the national grid.
2. A locus of power, esp. of political power or authority; a powerful person or institution.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > power > [noun] > political power within a state > centre of political power
power centre1897
1897 J. L. Hughes Froebel's Educ. Laws for all Teachers i. 9 The worst period during the life of a human being in which to leave his mental and moral evolution to chance is the time when his mind and heart are being organized and charged with the power centres which to so large an extent decide his tendency, his range, and his strength.
1906 Washington Post 30 July 12/4 Christ's coming from the heavens has entered into the life of humanity as the Founder of the world to come. He is the power center of the world to come.
1936 Internat. Affairs 15 454 Since the field of loyalty is limited to the Empire, the League of Nations goes by the board, except as machinery for mitigating conflicts between contesting power-centers.
1962 M. McLuhan Gutenberg Galaxy 12 The Renaissance prince tended to become an exclusive power centre surrounded by his individual subjects.
1992 New Republic 23 Nov. 43/2 At the start of the '80s, ‘a tiny group of highly visible political pontificators’ seized the old print-medium power centers.
3. U.S. A large outdoor shopping precinct containing several big discount stores.
ΚΠ
1986 Chain Store Age Executive Sept. 35 Because of the center's size, and because of the large number of customers each of these ‘anchor tenants’ is capable of attracting, Cofer is referring to this project as a ‘power center’.
2000 N.Y. Times 15 Oct. iii. 7/2 This is the year 2000 and we have malls and power centers.
Derivatives
ˈpower-centred adj. concerned with the study, acquisition, or exercise of political authority.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > power > [adjective] > concerned with political power
power-centred1949
1949 World Politics 2 37 How reliable are the estimates of reality made by power-centered types?
1999 Jrnl. Mod. Hist. 71 712 She uses a Baker-type linguistic, rhetorical, and power-centered thesis to refute my argument that ‘popular’ did not designate ‘culture’ for the ordinary citizen as opposed to that for the elite.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1892