epicentro

epicentre

noun eh-pee-SEN-troh Rare

Origin: Greek epi (upon) + kentron (centre).

Also means

focal point

Usage Note

Epicentro is literally the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake. Figuratively it is widely used in journalistic Spanish to mean the focal point of any major event: el epicentro del conflicto (the focal point of the conflict). The American English spelling is 'epicenter'; the British and Spanish forms both use -re/-ro.

Examples

"El epicentro del terremoto estaba en el mar."

Natural Translation

The epicentre of the earthquake was at sea.

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