Latin

Verb

cientō

1. third-person plural future active imperative of cieō

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin centum, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tóm.

Pronunciation

• Homophone: siento (depending on region)

Number

ciento ‎(cardinal numeral, plural cientos)

1. (cardinal number) one-hundred (100)

Usage notes

• When used as an adjective before the modified noun, the apocopate form cien is used instead of ciento.

• In composite numbers, the form cien is used before larger numbers components, ciento before smaller numbers.

cien mil pesos – “a hundred thousand pesos” ($100,000)

ciento noventa pesos – “a hundred ninety pesos” ($190)

• When used substantively to indicate the number 100 itself, cien is more common in modern usage:

los números de uno hasta el cien – “the numbers from one to a hundred”

hay dos cienes en el papel – “there are two hundreds on the paper” (two occurrences of the number one hundred)

• In the indefinite sense, ciento is used:

cientos de pesos – “hundreds of pesos”

• To indicate percentages, ciento is usually used, with regional exceptions, especially for 100%:

cincuenta por ciento – “fifty percent”

cien por cien – “a hundred percent”

ciento por ciento – “a hundred percent”

Related terms

• cien
• porciento
• por ciento