Noun

(centuries)

A period of 100 consecutive years; often specifically'' a numbered period with conventional start and end dates, e.g., the ''twentieth century'', which stretches from (''strictly'') 1901 through 2000, or (''informally'') 1900 through 1999. The ''first century AD was from 1 to 100; a yearhundred.

* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)

, title=(The China Governess), chapter=Foreword citation , passage=He stood transfixed before the unaccustomed view of London at night time, a vast panorama which reminded him […] of some wood engravings far off and magical, in a printshop in his childhood. They dated from the previous century and were coarsely printed on tinted paper, with tinsel outlining the design.}}

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= The attack of the MOOCs , passage=Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.}}

A unit in ancient Roman army, originally of 100 army soldiers as part of a cohort, later of more varied sizes (but typically containing 60 to 70 or 80) soldiers or other men (guards, police, firemen), commanded by a centurion.

A political division of ancient Rome, meeting in the Centuriate Assembly.

(archaic)  A hundred things; a hundred.

*, II.4.2.i:

'tis the subject of whole books: I might cite a century of authors pro'' and ''con .

(cricket)  A hundred runs scored either by a single player in one innings, or by two players in a partnership.

(cycling)  A ride 100 kilometres in length.

(US, informal)  A banknote in the denomination of one hundred dollars.

Noun

(uncountable, neologism) A subgenre of speculative science fiction set in an anachronistic 19th century society.

* {{quote-magazine

, year = 1987 , month = April , magazine = Locus , section = Locus Letters , first = Kevin Wayne , last = Jeter , authorlink = K. W. Jeter , volume = 20 , issue = 4 (

315 overall)

, page = 57 , passage = as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like 'steam-punks', perhaps... }}

* {{quote-magazine

, year = 1987 , month = May , magazine = Locus , section = , first = James , last = Blaylock , authorlink= James Blaylock , volume = 20 , issue = 5 (

316 overall)

, page = 57 , passage = There's railroad trains, a lot of steam-driven stuff, but that's about it. More ‘steam punk’, I suppose. }}

* {{quote-news

, year = 2008 , date = May 8 , author = Ruth La Ferla , title = Steampunk Moves Between 2 Worlds , work = New York Times , url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/fashion/08PUNK.html , passage = It is also the vision of steampunk , a subculture that is the aesthetic expression of a time-traveling fantasy world, one that embraces music, film, design and now fashion, all inspired by the extravagantly inventive age of dirigibles and steam locomotives, brass diving bells and jar-shaped protosubmarines. }}

(countable) A writer of steampunk fiction.

* {{quote-magazine

, year = 1987 , month = April , magazine = Locus , section = Locus Letters , author = Kevin Wayne Jeter , volume = , number = , page = 57 , passage = Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like 'steam-punks', perhaps. }}

(countable, cosplay) A person cosplaying as a steampunk character.

* {{quote-magazine

, year = 2009 , month = September , magazine = Exhibition Hall , url = http://efanzines.com/ExhibHall/ExhibHall-01.pdf , title = An Interview with Emmett and Klaude Davenport of the Clockwork Cabaret , author = Klaude Davenport , volume = , issue = 1 , page = 6 , passage = It wound up being an overwhelmingly positive experience that made me appreciate the steampunks around me even more. }}

* {{quote-usenet

, year = 2010 , monthday = September 24 , author = John Naylor , email = , title = Re: [Steam-Scholars] Hello again and a query , id = 45b85.6b512dc6.39cddc00@aol.com , group = steam-scholars , url = https://groups.google.com/d/msg/steam-scholars/bdMTIoChWyQ/pz5TAUpNxcYJ }}

It is extremely rare that you speak to someone who says "I want to be an ...." This would suggest that for the vast majority of steampunks their choice of outfit (at least intitially) is less a conscious attempt at portrayal and more of a spontaneous and potentially subconscious growth of an idea.