epicenter
epicenter Lexical Profile
epicenter Game Scores & Validity
• noun
American The central or most important point of a particular activity, situation, or difficulty.
"During the Renaissance, Florence became the cultural epicenter of European art and architecture."
American The point on the Earth's surface vertically above the focus or hypocenter of an earthquake or underground explosion.
"Seismologists quickly located the epicenter of the earthquake about ten miles off the coast."
Word Nuance & Usage
In strict geological usage, 'epicenter' refers to the point on the Earth's surface directly above the underground origin of an earthquake, whereas 'hypocenter' (or 'focus') refers to the actual subterranean point of rupture.
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 19th century as a shortened form of Modern Latin 'epicentrum', from Ancient Greek 'epikentros' ('situated on a center'), combining 'epi-' ('upon, over') and 'kentron' ('center, sharp point').